CRUSHED IN COLORADO AGAIN DODGERS SWEPT BY ROCKIES AS HELTON HITS 3 HRS COLORADO 12, DODGERS 5.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

DENVER - They were a veritable pitching machine, a starting unit so good they carried a substandard lineup to a first-place tie in the National League West.

No lineup might be a match for them - though the Colorado Rockies will argue that - but the Mile High air and vast Coors Field outfield were enough to send the Dodgers pitchers bustling to the airport and thankful to leave.

For as good as the starting pitching was during a 10-game winning streak, it was that bad in a three-game sweep by the Rockies.

Left-hander Odalis Perez was slammed for nine runs in three-plus innings, Rockies first baseman Todd Helton tied a career high with three homers and drove in six runs, and the Dodgers lost 12-5 on Thursday afternoon.

After Dodgers starters posted a 1.63 ERA during the 10-game winning streak, Kazuhisa Ishii, Darren Dreifort and Perez followed with a 14.73 ERA against the Rockies.

``It was about time for us to get hit hard,'' Perez said. ``For the whole year, the bullpen and the starting (pitchers), we've been just phenomenal. I'm glad we're going to be out of here and start a new series (today against Milwaukee) and hopefully continue what we were doing before the last three games here.

``The pitchers here, maybe they have success because they get used to pitching in this ballpark. For us, it's hard.''

Helton hit a two-run homer in the first and a solo homer in the fourth off Perez as the Rockies took a 9-3 lead. He completed his second career hat trick with a two-run blast off a 1-0 pitch from closer Eric Gagne in the eighth inning.

``Gagne is the nastiest pitcher going right now,'' said Helton, who has 10 homers. ``I hit a changeup, and I imagine he didn't want to throw it right where he did. He can just toy with you whenever he wants and get you out. You have no thought of hitting a home run off that guy. You just try to put the ball in play, to be honest with you.''

It was the 10th time a Rockie has hit three homers in a game and the second time for Helton. He also had three against Montreal in 2000.

``It doesn't happen that often, so you have to enjoy it a little bit,'' said Helton, who also singled. ``But, to me, you treat it the same as a bad game because you know you have to go out and play tomorrow, and somebody else is going to be trying to get you out and they're not going to care if you just hit three home runs.''

After being tied for first place three days ago, the Dodgers left town trailing the San Francisco Giants by 2 1/2 games. The Rockies won their season-high fifth in a row.

The Dodgers allowed a season high for runs and 16 hits, including a career-high five by Rockies leadoff batter Ron Belliard. Helton and Belliard each scored four times.

While the Rockies pounded Dodgers pitching for 25 runs in the three games, the Dodgers failed to homer and scored eight runs in the series. They left 13 runners on base Thursday.

``They got to our starting pitching before we could get to our bullpen in an efficient manner,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. ``The thing we have to do is go back to Dodger Stadium and pick up the pieces and begin a nine-game homestand. Instead of looking just at three days, you look at the overall picture, and the overall picture is that in the last 13 days we won 10 games.''

When the Dodgers were mowing through the Florida Marlins, Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers during their winning streak, the starters were impeccable. But with Perez (4-3) getting battered for nine earned runs on 11 hits in three-plus innings, the Dodgers starters pitched a combined 11 innings against the Rockies.

``I'm one of those type pitchers that pitch off his changeup, and it wasn't working,'' Perez said. ``When your best pitch is not working, I don't think there's a good way to have success. It was fine. Nothing bothers me at all. The only problem is my changeup was not working.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Colorado first baseman Todd Helton hits a solo home run in the fourth inning, one of his three homers and six RBI on Thursday.

(2) Odalis Perez allowed nine runs in three-plus innings Thursday. Three Dodgers starters posted a 14.73 ERA in the Rockies' sweep at Coors Field.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Box:

ROCKY ROAD