BAKER'S 700TH ENDS DODGERS RUN AT 9 SAN. FRAN 3, DODGERS 2.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Before Thursday's series finale at Dodger Stadium, Giants manager Dusty Baker was chatting in his office about the milestones slugger Barry Bonds reached this year.

He mischievously pointed to the Giants' game notes and the listing above the one that said Bonds' next homer would make him 10th on the all-time list: Dusty Baker - 1 win for 700.

``I've been waiting for three days to get 700,'' he said. ``I want to do it here, bad.''

It took four games and some late-inning heroics, but Baker got the milestone win on Rich Aurilia's two-out single in the top of the ninth. The Giants' 3-2 victory ended the Dodgers' winning streak at nine games, their longest since the 1993 season.

Baker, a former Dodgers outfielder, is now 700-617 in his managerial career with the Giants. He waited four days to get it, losing the first three games of the series.

For much of the night it looked as though he might have to wait at least another 24 hours, but the Giants scored once in the eighth and took advantage of Mark Grudzielanek's error on Calvin Murray's hard-hit liner with two outs in the ninth. It put two runners on, and Aurilia singled to left to score pinch hitter Eric Davis and give the Giants a 3-2 lead.

Chan Ho Park pitched a season-high eight innings, but another lack of run support kept him winless since June 15.

Park hadn't finished an eighth inning this season, and manager Jim Tracy seemed determined to force Park through it. An attempt failed last week in San Diego, and Park didn't come through clean this time, either, though he at least completed eight innings. He threw 133 pitches.

The Dodgers led 2-1 entering the eighth and Murray led off with a triple into the right-field corner. He scored on Aurilia's fly ball to right field to tie it 2-2. Park walked Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent, but struck out Armando Rios and Felipe Crespo to end the inning. An emotional Park pumped his first after the Crespo strikeout.

However, the slip in the eighth gave Park his third no-decision in his last four starts. He yielded five hits and struck out nine while lowering his home ERA to 1.92 in nine starts.

Giants right-hander Russ Ortiz's outing was more impressive than Park. The Montclair Prep of Van Nuys alum allowed three hits and two runs, struck out three and didn't walk a batter in eight innings to improve to 9-5.

Robb Nen, snubbed for an All-Star bid, recorded his league-leading 26th save by pitching the ninth but the Dodgers made it interesting. Pinch hitter Dave Hansen led off with a single. Tom Goodwin struck out and Grudzielanek grounded slowly to second to allow pinch runner Hiram Bocachica to move to second. But Gary Sheffield, who homered in the eighth inning Wednesday to give the Dodgers the win, grounded out.

Dodgers reliever Al Reyes (1-1) took the loss.

The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Goodwin's triple and Grudzielanek's fly ball to center field.

In the third, Bonds, whose homerless string is now at 10 games, was hit with a two-out pitch and scored when Gary Sheffield bobbled Jeff Kent's double in the left-field corner.

The Dodgers regained the lead 2-1 on Chad Kreuter's sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.

Though Park allowed the tying run in the eighth inning, the importance of another impressive start shouldn't be lost. Park will be a free agent in the offseason and will command enormous money. He has held together a starting staff ravaged with injuries by making 15 consecutive quality starts. He's allowed more than three runs in a start just twice, and none since April 18.

Due to injuries, right-hander Andy Ashby is out until spring training and right-hander Darren Dreifort is out until after the 2002 All-Star break. Already thin in pitching, the recent diagnosis that Dreifort would need reconstructive elbow surgery, to be performed Tuesday, could place more pressure on the Dodgers to sign Park.

``My feeling about Chan Ho is the same as it's always been,'' Dodgers chairman Bob Daly said. ``We would have loved to sign Chan Ho. There was a deal on the table here a long time ago that he rejected. We didn't reject it. He rejected it.''

That deal, discussed prior to the 1999 season, would have paid Park $32 million over four years. Many organization officials at the time said the contract negotiations weighed heavily in Park having a 13-11 mark and an uncharacteristic 5.23 ERA.

DODGERS vs. SEATTLE

Time: 7:10 p.m., at Dodger Stadium.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net 2; 1150-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: The Dodgers head into the All-Star break as they normally do, playing the Seattle Mariners for three games. Dodgers RH Kevin Brown (7-3, 2.77 ERA) will face the best team in baseball and will oppose RH Freddy Garcia (9-1, 3.43). Brown pitched six shutout innings Sunday in San Diego, but he said his arm strength and stamina were lacking from a month on the disabled list. Saturday - Dodgers RH Terry Adams(4-2, 5.37) vs. Mariners RH Paul Abbott (7-2, 4.65); Sunday - Dodgers RH Luke Prokopec vs. Mariners RH Aaron Sele (9-1, 3.64).

- Brian Dohn

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) San Francisco's Barry Bonds didn't homer but he was hit with a pitch in the third inning Thursday.

(2) Chan Ho Park went eight innings Thursday, allowing five hits and striking out nine.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

Box: DODGERS vs. SEATTLE (see text)