CHOI HAS GRAND OPENING HIS SLAM LIFTS DODGERS TO WIN, BACK IN FIRST PLACE DODGERS 6, COLORADO 3.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

The Dodgers face a left-handed starting pitcher tonight, so it's likely that Hee-Seop Choi won't find his name on the lineup card. Then again, Choi might be hitting his way out of that first-base platoon.

Choi ended Jason Jennings' run of success against the Dodgers with a fifth-inning grand slam off the Colorado starting pitcher, and Choi's second consecutive big offensive game helped the Dodgers to a 6-3 victory Friday night over the Rockies before 40,150 at Dodger Stadium.

``Olmedo Saenz, he plays very well against left handers, but I want to play,'' Choi said without an interpreter. ``My job is against right handers. Left handers, I don't know, but I want to play.''

Five hits were enough for the Dodgers against the Rockies and Jennings (1-3), who had beaten them a week earlier with a complete-game effort at Coors Field, and it was enough support for Dodgers starter Odalis Perez (4-1), who rebounded from a horrendous start in Denver with an excellent outing.

Friday's win, coupled with Arizona's 5-4 loss in 15 innings at San Diego also put the Dodgers (14-8) back atop the National League West Division standings by a half-game.

Perez fell behind 1-0 in the third after Clint Barmes led off with a double and later scored, but Perez otherwise dominated in seven solid innings, and Choi's swing gave him all the help he needed.

``It was nice to show them that we're not playing in Colorado, we're playing here,'' said Perez, who gave up three hits, walked one and struck out seven.

It's mostly been a rough go in Los Angeles for Choi, who arrived last July in the trade that sent Paul Lo Duca and others to Florida. Choi hit .161 in 62 at-bats with the Dodgers last season and failed to show he could be an everyday first baseman, which led to a platoon situation at the position this month.

This season didn't begin much better, as Choi took a .200 average into Tuesday's game but that night he broke through with four hits, including a solo home run. But with the Dodgers facing a left-handed starter on Wednesday, Choi returned to the bench to await a right-hander such as Friday's starter, Jennings.

``He's starting to get himself in a good sync,'' manager Jim Tracy said, ``and for now, you let him get in a good sync and don't throw him out there against a tough left-hander and get his swing out of sync.''

Choi walked in the fourth inning but was left on second when the Dodgers left the bases loaded. After walks to Ricky Ledee and Cesar Izturis and a Paul Bako single in the fifth, Choi did the damage himself.

``I started off bad but now everything is better,'' Choi said.

Jennings left his first pitch to Choi over the plate, and Choi crushed it to center field, just over the wall for his first grand slam and a 4-1 Dodgers lead as the Dodger fans chanted his name.

``I saw, from before, that he was throwing a lot of fastballs first pitch,'' Choi said.

Choi played a big part again in the seventh, when he walked against reliever Jose Acevedo and scored when J.D. Drew hit a home run just inside the left-field foul pole and just over the wall for a 6-1 lead.

The home-run ball bounced off a fan in the front row and back on to the field and as left fielder Matt Holliday picked up the ball, a fan grabbed Holliday's jersey in an incident eerily similar to the one at Fenway Park this month, in which Gary Sheffield shoved a fan who took a swipe at him.

``(The ball) bounced right to me,'' Holliday said. ``I grabbed it and (the fan) grabbed my jersey. I threw the ball in, just in case the umpire thought it hit the wall or something.''

A team spokesman said the fan was not ejected from the game because stadium officials could not conclusively determine if the fan had made contact with Holliday.

``The fan grabbed (Holliday),'' Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. ``I'm sure with the crack security they have at Dodger Stadium they (kicked) him out and took care of it. If not, they should have.''

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 5 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Hee-Seop Choi hit a fifth-inning grand slam in the Dodgers' victory Friday over Colorado.

(2) Dodgers shortstop Cesar Izturis prepares to tag out Colorado's Clint Barmes attempting to steal second base in the second inning.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) DODGERS vs. COLORADO

- Rich Hammond

(2) GAME RECAP

(3) HOW THE RUNS SCORED

(4) ALMANAC 

(5) STORY LINES