DODGERS' PLAN IS FOILED GAGNE PITCHES, BUT PHILLIES GET THE VICTORY PHILADELPHIA 8, DODGERS 6.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE Staff Writer

It was shaping up just the way the Dodgers always envisioned it would.

A slim lead into the seventh inning followed by a pair of strong set-up innings by their rebuilt bullpen.

Then Eric Gagne would take over from there.

This was the late-inning relief effort the Dodgers foresaw all the way back in spring training.

But once again, their plans were foiled.

As a result, the Dodgers dropped a game they very much had control of in an 8-6 loss to Philadelphia in front of 55,142 at Dodger Stadium.

Almost as importantly, Gagne was denied a chance to pitch in a save situation for the first time since last June. Gagne did make his long-awaited debut from two elbow surgeries over the last 11 months, pitching a scoreless ninth inning while striking out one and walking two.

He bounced out of the Dodgers' bullpen to his trademark Guns N' Roses song 'Welcome to the Jungle,' and the crowd rose to its feet and chanted his name wildly.

It was a stirring moment and made for great theater. Only it wasn't a save situation thanks to a disastrous seventh inning that turned a two-run Dodger lead into an 8-5 deficit.

``The plan tonight was to get him in in the ninth inning regardless of the situation,'' Dodgers manager Grady Little said. ``We're glad we were able to get it out of the way.''

Gagne was ecstatic simply to pitch again after undergoing two operations in less than one year.

``I was pumped,'' Gagne said. ``It was good to get the first one out of the way. It would have been nice to get the save but we'll worry about it next time.''

Relievers Danys Baez and Takashi Saito -- currently slated as Gagne's seventh and eighth inning setup men -- combined to give up five runs in the seventh inning to let control of the game slip away. Baez with credited with all five runs allowed, but both pitchers struggled as a 5-3 Dodgers lead evaporated.

Saito took over at that point, and promptly gave up a double to Aaron Rowand to make it 7-5. David Bell followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Phillies an 8-5 lead.

``(Baez) got a little snake bit in that inning and got some bad results,'' Little said.

The Dodgers had battled back from an early 3-0 deficit -- and another shaky outing from Jae Seo -- to take a 5-3 lead.

Seo was lifted after just four innings, giving up three runs on five hits. He lasted just 2.2 innings in his last outing.

``I didn't like what I was seeing,'' Little said. ``He had over 80 pitches at the time and in my mind I could see it getting worse before it got better.''

Willy Aybar got things rolling in the fourth with a two-run double and Matt Kemp followed with a pinch-hit home run in the fifth to tie the game 3-3.

Nomar Garciaparra put the Dodgers ahead 4-3 later in the fifth when he singled home Rafael Furcal. Joel Guzman followed with an RBI single to score Garciaparra to make it 5-3.

For Guzman, it was his first career hit and RBI.

vincent.bonsignore(at)dailynews.com

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1) L.A.'s Andre Ethier, right, scores in the fifth inning as Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal gets the throw late.

(2) The Dodgers' Joel Guzman scores in the fourth inning of Friday's game at Dodger Stadium.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

(3) PENNY

Box:

DODGERS vs. PHILADELPHIA

-Vincent Bonsignore