DODGERS' BATS COME ALIVE L.A. RALLIES TO SEND GAME INTO EXTRA INNINGS.

Byline: TONY JACKSON Staff Writer

The Dodgers finally got a solid performance from Derek Lowe. To go with it, they got a breakout performance from Andre Ethier.

But more important than any of that, they got some long-awaited offensive heroics - in the late innings, no less - and rode them to a 6-6, ninth-inning tie with the San Diego Padres in front of 38,050 on Monday night at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth, all off Padres reliever Scott Linebrink, who began the inning by walking Rafael Furcal with a three-run lead. Two outs later, with Furcal having been forced at second and J .D. Drew now on first, Ethier, who had homered twice earlier in the game, poked a single to left-center, sending Drew to third.

Russell Martin followed with a long fly ball to right that Terrmel Sledge appeared to have a bead on as he ran it down at the track. But the ball ticked off Sledge's glove, allowing both runners to score easily and Martin to pull into second with a double.

Veteran Ricky Ledee then came up to pinch hit for Dodgers reliever Joe Beimel and promptly tied the game, dropping a bloop single just in front of a hard charging Dave Roberts in left.

Kenny Lofton, running for Ledee, was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.

But Takashi Saito, the perfect closer who doesn' seem to get many save opportunities these days, sent the game to the bottom of the ninth by retiring the Padres in order in the top half, striking out Josh Barfield and Josh Bard before getting Roberts to ground out harmlessly to third base.

Lowe, who had lost the release point on his vaunted sinkerball and struggled so mightily in his previous five starts, seemed to right himself in this one. Although the Padres got to him for seven hits in 6 2/3 innings, he repeatedly worked his way out of trouble and pitched into the seventh inning for the first time since June 22, when he turned in his lone complete game of the season against Seattle.

Ethier, meanwhile, who would be the National League's leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year award if most of his home games didn't start at an hour when most of the East Coast is turning out its lights, swatted his homers in the second and third innings, driving in all three Dodgers runs as the game went to the seventh in a 3-3 tie.

But then, manager Grady Little opted to lift Lowe with two outs in the seventh, a point at which he had just retired Dave Roberts on a fly ball to left with Padres runners on first and second. Fireballing rookie Jonathan Broxton came on to face Mike Cameron.

Broxton got ahead of Cameron 1-2. His next pitch landed about two-thirds of the way up the bleachers in left-center, and the fast-fading Dodgers appeared at that point to be doomed to their 11th loss in 12 games since the All-Star break.

To that point, the Dodgers had scored a total of 20 runs in that stretch.

Other than Ethier, who continued to make his case for N.L. rookie honors by going 3 for 4 and increasing his average to .393 since June 17, the Dodgers' offensive ineptitude continued for another evening - especially in clutch situations and especially when it came to Drew, the club's veteran and well-compensated right fielder.

Furcal led off the third inning with a double. But Drew then struck out as Furcal broke from third, and Padres catcher Josh Bard threw him out to complete the double play. Then, with one out in the fifth, Furcal drove a triple off the rightfield wall on a ball Brian Giles barely missed catching in spectacular fashion. Predictably, Drew then struck out again, and the inning ended with Furcal on third when Nomar Garciaparra flied to center.

The Dodgers also wasted a prime opportunity in the second inning after Russell Martin, the club's other hot-hitting rookie, followed Ethier's first homer by drawing a walk from Padres starter Chris Young. After Willy Aybar flied to left , Martin stole second with Jason Repko at the plate. After Repko fouled out, Martin stole third with Cesar Izturis batting.

Young then walked Izturis intentionally after falling behind him 2-0. That brought up Lowe, who struck out quickly to end the threat.

Until that eighth-inning rally, the Dodgers appeared to be on the verge of running their losing streak to a season-worst six games.

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CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Dodgers' Andre Ethier hits a two-run homer in the third inning of Monday night's game.

(2) Derek Lowe allowed five runs -- three earned -- on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings on Monday.

(3) Dodgers' Rafael Furcal, right, tags out Padres' Brian Giles after Giles overran second base.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

Box:

DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO

- Tony Jackson