BUYER'S REMORSE? DREIFORT'S EARLY STRUGGLES NOT WHAT L.A. HAD IN MIND.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

When the Dodgers signed right-hander Darren Dreifort to an industry-angering $55 million deal in the offseason, they spoke of paying for potential more than past performance.

Boy, are the Dodgers paying for it.

With the pitching staff in disarray because of injuries and ineptitude, the Dodgers looked toward Dreifort, along with Chan Ho Park, to stabilize the situation. Park has held up his end, ensuring he will be one of the best-paid pitchers in baseball next season.

However, in the three starts Dreifort has made since Kevin Brown went on the disabled list, he is 1-2 with a 9.88 ERA. The two losses were to front-running Arizona.

``I felt pretty good out there, probably the best that I have felt in a month,'' Dreifort said after allowing five runs in six innings in Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks. ``I don't think it is any one thing.''

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, there do not appear to be many answers.

``I think that what we have to do is continue to be a support group for him, knowing that he's had some rough spots,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. ``But he's also, in my mind, had some rough spots where, in the last couple years or so, he may not have even gotten himself through those rough spots.''

The good news is the 29-year-old Dreifort, who signed a five-year deal in December, always pitches better after the All-Star break. After Wednesday's loss, Dreifort is 4-6 with a 4.95 ERA, numbers similar to the first three months of last season, when he was 4-7 with a 4.94 ERA.

Dreifort responded last season by going 8-2 with a 3.14 ERA after the All-Star break, but there's a big difference in expectations when one's making $3.7 million compared to this season's $11 million.

And besides, what good is a strong second half if the Dodgers are no longer in contention?

``I know he gave up 10 hits (against Arizona), but as strange as it sounds, I thought he threw pretty well,'' pitching coach Jim Colborn said. ``Sometimes in baseball that happens. If it starts happening a whole bunch, then you start looking for answers. I think I'd prefer to just see it out, see the course. I think that kind of performance every five days is going to be successful.

``I like something else about him. He did not want to come out of the game. He wanted to keep pitching. ... He's taking pride in how long he pitches, in his performances. He's feeling like he has a responsibility in the rotation since Kevin is down, and I like that. That will pay dividends.''

With injuries to Brown and Andy Ashby, who was lost for the season after making two starts, and the inadequacy of Eric Gagne, the Dodgers needed Dreifort to have a strong first half. And although Dreifort hasn't performed as the Dodgers had hoped, Colborn sees signs of development.

``Technically, he's doing some things I like,'' Colborn said. ``He's keeping a focus when there is a jam. He's making pitches in tight situations, and as we know, there have been times in the past when he wasn't able to make pitches and extricate himself from jams.''

Certainly, though, the Dodgers signed Dreifort to the hefty contract expecting him to be on the verge of a breakthrough season. History has shown the current crop of elite pitchers - Mike Hampton, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez - achieved success by their fourth year as a starter.

--Hampton, who went 22-4 in 1999, his fourth year starting, hasn't had an ERA above 3.83 since his first season.

--Maddux went 18-8 in 1988, just his second full season. His highest ERA since his first full season is 3.35.

--Glavine went 20-11 and won a Cy Young Award in 1991, his fourth year as a starter.

--Johnson went 19-8 in 1993, his fifth season as a starter, but in his second through fourth seasons he had a 3.79 ERA.

--And Martinez was 11-5 with a 3.42 ERA in his first full season as a starter.

Dreifort, whose 2001 salary falls in the $8.9 million to $13.4 million range of the aforementioned pitchers, is 45-51 lifetime and hasn't had an ERA under 4.00 in any season. This is his fourth year as a starter.

``This is a catcher's perspective, and I see that he's going out there with ability right now without full knowledge of how to use that ability,'' said Chad Kreuter, known for being a strong defensive catcher. ``In this game, ability doesn't just cut it. Really, it's the knowledge and the experience of using that ability as a weapon. He's definitely learning. I don't think a pitcher stops learning until he gets close to 200 games under his belt.

``There's a point where it comes together and you start seeing that experience come through out on the mound, and I think that's what we're looking at here. (Dreifort) has all the makings of a great pitcher and he's waiting for the sun to shine on that petal to make it bloom.''

Dreifort is scheduled to make his 102nd career start Sunday. But with a $110 million payroll and a team laden with veterans, the Dodgers might not have time to wait for Dreifort to come of age.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) A 4-6 record with a 4.95 ERA is not what the Dodgers had in mind for Darren Dreifort, their $55 million man.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) no caption (Darren Dreifort)

Box: SLOW START