CHANGE IS GOOD GREEN IS HAPPY TO BE ON PLAYOFF TEAM.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

Shawn Green has the best seat in the house for Adrian Beltre's dramatic season - the Dodgers' on-deck circle.

Green has watched Beltre, a National League Most Valuable Player candidate, hit 48 home runs, one shy of his franchise-record 49. After a slow start, Green had a productive season but didn't hit 49 and 42 home runs, like he did in 2001 and 2002. He sure gave away a lot of batting gloves to kids then.

This season, Green batted .266 with 28 home runs and 86 RBI but the 31-year-old is on a playoff team for the first time in his career. And if given a choice between home runs or playing in St. Louis in the National League Division Series, Green doesn't hesitate.

``Playoffs, that's what we play for as a team,'' Green said. ``It's exciting. It's a lot more gratifying when everyone contributes.''

It sure looked like he meant it when the Dodgers clinched the National League West title last Saturday with another come-from-behind victory over San Francisco. Steve Finley hit a walk-off grand slam, which sent Green sprinting out of the dugout with his left arm raised. Green jumped up and down around home plate like a kid and embraced Beltre, Finley and everyone else.

Last year, Green hit 19 home runs but he revealed at the end of the year that he had a shoulder injury most of the season. He had surgery on his right, non-throwing shoulder, and the adjustment process took some time.

``Any time you come off surgery, it takes a while to get things back together,'' Green said. ``I improved as the season went on. I don't know if it affected me but there are a lot of things that go along with getting the feel back and confidence back. It wasn't something that happened overnight for me.''

Green likes routine but change was the theme this year.

He spent spring training working out at first base and did a credible job during the regular season. Because of Beltre's breakthrough season, Green was moved from the cleanup spot to No. 5. Also, the Dodgers had a new hitting instructor in Tim Wallach.

``You can tell he's happy, especially with the way he's swinging the bat since the beginning of the season,'' said David Ross, who has a locker next to Green's in the clubhouse. ``Winning cures a lot of things. He's done a good job at first base. And I think he didn't feel as much pressure with Beltre having such a good season. He's a little lower in the lineup but he's making guys pay for walking Beltre.''

May wasn't a good month as Green batted .204 with three homers and six RBI. His average dropped to .215 on May 27. It seems Green always takes a while to get his bat going but just needs one big day or a big week to get back on track. Remember when he hit four home runs on May 23 against Milwaukee two years ago?

He's had several big hits in August and September and he's batting .364 with two home runs with the bases loaded. No hit was bigger than his two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Dodgers a 7-6 victory at Colorado on Sept. 19. He called it the biggest home run of the year.

Green also had a big two-run homer five days later at San Francisco in a 3-2 Dodgers win, the day before he sat out a game in observance of Yom Kippur.

Green always will be judged by how many home runs he hits, a product of hitting 91 in back-to-back seasons. Dodgers first-base coach John Shelby believes Green can find that type of power again.

``I assume he wishes he puts up the kind of numbers he put up a couple of years ago,'' Shelby said. ``I think he'd like to have his production a little bit more than what it is. He's capable of putting those numbers up again. I don't think it was a fluke, not when you do that two years. Two years is tough.''

Green wants that too.

Jill Painter, [phone]

jill.painter(at)dailynews.com

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Shawn Green might not have big numbers, but he's playing in his first postseason series.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press