BLAST CAPS RALLY VALENTIN'S HOMER PUSHES DODGERS PAST ARIZONA DODGERS 8, ARIZONA 7.

Byline: Tony Jackson Staff Writer

PHOENIX - The knock against the Dodgers all spring was the fact that this year's club bore no resemblance to last season's division winner, that the front-office roster overhaul had robbed this club of its character, its charisma and any chance of repeating in the National League West.

But on Friday night, the new Dodgers did an uncanny impersonation of the old Dodgers, staging a dramatic, ninth-inning rally against an opposing closer to pull a game out of the fire and pull themselves a little closer to each other.

Playing the hero for the second time in three days, infielder Jose Valentin slammed a pinch-hit two-run homer deep into the right-field stands off Arizona closer Brandon Lyon, capping a four-run, ninth-inning rally that gave the Dodgers a stirring, 8-7 victory over the Diamondbacks in front of 25,813 at Bank One Ballpark and sole possession of first place in the National League West.

The comeback began on an innocent-looking, one-out error by third baseman Troy Glaus, the former Angels slugger who signed with Arizona this past winter and who only moments earlier had appeared to finish off the Dodgers with a three-run blast off rookie reliever Steve Schmoll to break open a tie game.

All four of the Dodgers' ninth-inning runs off Lyon were unearned, meaning they couldn't have done it without the help of Glaus. But all Glaus did was open a door. The Dodgers took it upon themselves to come bursting through it.

``This is the kind of thing that can bring a team together,'' said Dodgers outfielder Ricky Ledee, who delivered a key, two-out double in the ninth to score Antonio Perez with the first run of the inning. ``We're beginning to trust each other as teammates, and that's how you win games. I have been in situations where you go in to pinch hit for somebody. It's not an easy job, and it's not easy to take it when they pinch hit for you. But when you trust each other in those situations, this is what can happen.''

In just his second save opportunity since being handed the closer's job to begin the season, Lyon began the ninth by striking out Olmedo Saenz, who earlier had hit a two-run homer off starter Shawn Estes to cap a four-run Dodgers rally in the sixth.

Antonio Perez, starting his first game of the season for the Dodgers, then hit a sharp grounder to third that Glaus got in front of, only to have it carom off his glove and end up several feet away in foul territory, giving him no chance to get the speedy Perez at first.

Jason Phillips then hit a fly ball to the wall in left, but Luis Gonzalez made a leaping catch in front of the wall, leaving the Dodgers with one final breath. But after Lyon balked Perez to second, Ledee cut the deficit to 7-5 with a double off the center-field wall. Cesar Izturis then singled sharply to right to score Ledee, making it 7-6.

Valentin, who wasn't in the starting lineup for the first time this season because manager Jim Tracy went heavily right-handed against the left- handed Estes, then came up to hit for Jason Repko. Moments later, the Dodgers' first epic comeback of 2005 was all but locked up.

Yhency Brazoban, subbing for the injured Eric Gagne, took care of the rest, retiring the Diamondbacks in order for his first career save.

``That was a great baseball game,'' Tracy said. ``What we witnessed was something that was characteristic of our ballclub over the course of the entire 2004 season. You haven't beaten the Dodgers until you have recorded all 27 outs. We kept playing and kept battling and continued to take very good at-bats in the ninth inning.''

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 4 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Pinch-hitter Jose Valentin hit a game-winning two-run homer in the ninth inning Friday.

(2) Olmedo Saenz hit a two-run homer off Arizona's Shawn Estes on Friday.

Roy Dabner/Associated Press

Box:

(1) DODGERS at ARIZONA

- Tony Jackson

(2) GAME RECAP

(3) HOW THE RUNS SCORED

(4) ALMANAC