BROWN HELPS HIS OWN CAUSE DODGERS ACE HAS BIG HIT IN VICTORY OVER LOWLY PHILLIES DODGERS 11, PHILA. 4.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

The doldrums ended about the same time the ball hit by Todd Hundley fell into the right-field stands in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Suspensions, fines, the frustration of being severely penalized by baseball and the chaos that encompassed it lingered heavily in the Dodger Stadium air from the moment batting practice commenced but lifted instantly when Hundley's shot left the yard.

The Dodgers reacted to the blast by scoring five times in the sixth inning and beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-4 Friday in the opener of a three-game series.

``I think everybody was kind of feeling the same way,'' Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said. ``We came out and we were lackluster. It was big to put this thing behind us and deal with what we have to deal with. It's kind of hard to stop thinking about it, but (we had to) put it behind us.''

Hundley, who had four RBI, added his second two-run homer of the game in the seventh inning and Kevin Brown (4-1) pitched seven innings and drove in his first two runs as the Dodgers ended a two-game losing streak by beating the National League's worst team.

``I was kind of concerned early in the game if we were going to get it going,'' said Hundley, who has 13 homers and 32 RBI.

``We shook the cobwebs off and got back to playing good baseball. In batting practice, everyone was so dead. . . . With all the things going on, we have to keep our minds and concentrate on baseball.''

Major League Baseball handed down suspensions and fines to 16 players and three coaches on Wednesday, and the Dodgers were feeling the hangover effects. It didn't help when Brown allowed three runs in the third inning, two of which came on Rob Ducey's homer, as the Phillies took a 3-1 lead.

But Hundley provided the spark with his two-run homer to right, which brought life to the sleep-walking Dodgers. Brown retired the next six batters, and even though a squeeze bunt by Tom Prince gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead in the sixth, the tenor had already shifted. And a Philadelphia error led to five unearned runs in the bottom of the inning.

Eric Karros tied it 4-4 with a double off the top of the wall and Adrian Beltre had an RBI single to give the Dodgers the lead. Kevin Elster, who later homered, was intentionally walked to load the bases for Brown, and he picked up his second hit in 18 at-bats to put the Dodgers ahead 7-4.

``If you do your job well enough on the mound, (hitting) is not an issue,'' Brown said. ``(But) it's great. That's part of the fun of being in the National League. It's a lot more fun when you do get a hit instead of making an out.''

Todd Hollandsworth ended the inning with an RBI single. The Dodgers secured the win in the seventh when Hundley homered again in the seventh. It marked the 11th time Hundley's homered twice in a game, and it was the sixth time a Dodger has done it this season.

``To start the game, I was completely clueless,'' Hundley said. ``I went to (hitting coach) Rick Down and asked for help to straighten things out. I got back off the plate and tried to hit the ball hard instead of trying to hit it nine miles.''

DODGERS VS. PHILADELPHIA

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

TV/Radio: Channel 5; 1150-AM, KWKW-AM (1330 Spanish).

Dodgers right-hander Darren Dreifort (3-1, 3.33 ERA) makes his 10th start, and though he's thrown well his record doesn't reflect it. Dreifort allowed two runs on six hits in eight innings in his last outing, but he didn't figure in the decision. Against the Phillies, Dreifort is 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 outings. He was 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA last season. Phillies right-hander Robert Person (4-2, 3.24) allowed one run inseven innings in a win against Colorado last Sunday. He's 3-1 in his last five starts.

- Brian Dohn

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

The Phillies' Kevin Jordan was safe on this play but Adrian Beltre and the Dodgers had their way on this day.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press

Box: DODGERS VS. PHILADELPHIA (See text)