DODGERS' LATE SHOW LEAVES ROCKIES COLD DODGERS 11, COLORADO 5.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

DENVER - There is something to combat Coors Field's humidor. It's Mother Nature herself. A steady rain, a 30-minute delay, a swirling cold breeze and temperatures in the mid 50s did the trick just fine.

Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros had three hits and a season-high four RBI and the Dodgers scored nine times in the final two innings to open a nine-game road trip with an 11-5 win against the Colorado Rockies on Monday.

The Dodgers (34-23) remained a game behind Arizona in the National League West but are a season-high 11 games over .500. Colorado lost for the fourth time in its past 20 home games.

Dodgers reliever Guillermo Mota (1-0) continued his impressive run with a scoreless seventh inning to earn his first win as a Dodger.

It wasn't without an anxious moment, particularly since Rockies right fielder Larry Walker hit the ninth-longest home run in Coors Field history to start the eighth. Walker hit the 10th pitch of his at-bat 481 feet into the top deck in right field. It brought the Rockies within 6-5.

But the Dodgers responded with two runs in the ninth, loading the bases with none out against reliever Justin Speier before Karros stroked a two-run single to left field to provide the Dodgers with an 8-5 lead. Adrian Beltre added a three-run homer offreliever Chris Nichting to make it 11-5.

Stagnant after a two-run first inning and trailing 4-2, the Dodgers broke out in the eighth inning with four runs against Rockies reliever Todd Jones and closer Jose Jimenez.

Paul Lo Duca led the inning off with a single to right and Shawn Green doubled just inside the left-field line. Brian Jordan singled off Jimenez (1-3), who relieved Jones, to score Lo Duca and pull the Dodgers within 4-3.

Karros, the leader among visiting players with 19 homers, used a big hop to drive in the tying run. He bounced a double over the head of first baseman Todd Helton to score Green and tie it 4-4.

Having already blown his first save in 16 chances, Jimenez went all out. With one out, Adrian Beltre grounded to the mound. Jordan broke off third, was seemingly caught and begin fleeing back toward third base, already occupied by Karros. But Jimenez threw the ball over Zeile's head, allowing two runs to score and giving the Dodgers a 6-4 lead.

It ruined another tremendous start by Rockies rookie right-hander Denny Stark, called up because of an injury to Shawn Chacon. Stark made a case for his staying in Colorado when Chacon is ready to come back. Stark was impressive again, allowing two first-inning runs before pitching 6 1/3 solid innings.

The 27-year-old Stark allowed two runs and five hits, struck out four and and walked two.

In fact, Stark could have pitched shutout ball had it not been for a misplay of a windblown fly ball by right fielder Walker. Walker dropped Jordan's hit, which became a run-scoring triple, and Karros followed with an RBI single.

Normally, that would be plenty for Dodgers starter Odalis Perez, who had allowed more than two earned runs in only three of his 11 starts. And Perez, who threw his first career complete game here April 15, looked sharp as he retired the first seven batters.

But a 30-minute rain delay seemed to change Perez's game. The stoppage came with Jose Ortiz on first and an 0-1 count to Stark.

Upon resumption, Ortiz stole second and scored on Stark's single to left. Juan Pierre hit into a fielder's choice and scored on Juan Uribe's double off the right-field wall to tie it 2-2.

Zeile gave the Rockies a 3-2 lead with a homer to left field with one out in the fourth, and the Rockies tacked on another run in the fifth on Walker's bases loaded groundout.