DODGERS' STREAK BLINDSIDED TWO-WEEK RIDE STOPPED BY ROCKIES; MCGRIFF ERROR ON THROW COSTS 2 RUNS COLORADO 7, DODGERS 3.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

DENVER - The peaks of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains glistened on a gorgeous, sun-soaked Tuesday, showcasing the city as one of the prettiest in the country this time of year.

Overcast, dreary or dark would have done the Dodgers better, as their 10-game winning streak was done in by a ray of sunshine.

Colorado scored five times in the first inning, the last two runs coming when first baseman Fred McGriff lost sight of a throw from third baseman Adrian Beltre that would have ended the inning, and the Rockies went on to post a 7-3 victory at Coors Field.

After pushing around the San Francisco Giants and taking three of four, the Rockies handed the Dodgers their first loss since May 13. It ended the Dodgers' longest winning streak since they won 11 in a row in 1993 and put them a half-game behind the Giants in the West.

``The streak is over,'' Dodgers outfielder Brian Jordan said. ``(The key) is bouncing back and start another streak. You can't let that bother you. You know it's going to happen sooner or later.''

The Rockies, who were swept in a three-game series last week in Los Angeles, are a major-league-best 19-9 at home, contradicting a 6-19 road record.

``It's always good to beat the people in our division,'' Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. ``We have to be able to take it to the guys who are on top of us.''

Dodgers starters were 10-0 during the 10-game winning streak, but that ended when left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii (4-2) ran into location problems in the first inning.

Ishii lasted five innings before being taken out for a pinch hitter, making it the shortest outing for a Dodgers starter since Darren Dreifort pitched five innings in an April 23 loss in Cincinnati. Ishii allowed five runs (three earned), walked four and yielded three hits.

But those three hits came within the first five Rockies he faced, and he trailed quickly after Jay Payton's RBI double and Larry Walker's two-run triple.

The inning should have ended with the Dodgers trailing 3-0 when, with two runners on and two outs, Chris Stynes grounded to Beltre. McGriff lost Beltre's throw in the setting sun and couldn't make the catch. It allowed two runs to score and gave the Rockies a 5-0 lead.

``It's tough over there,'' McGriff said. ``You don't want to get hit in the face because the sun is tough over there. It was a long inning and bad over there. When he first threw it I saw it, but then I lost it. I'm lucky I didn't get hit in the face.''

There's a reason Rockies first baseman Todd Helton instructs his infielders to throw the ball no higher than knee-high the first few innings of games. The Dodgers, who have played with the shadows and sunlight here for 11 years, got a quick refresher lesson.

``We had two strikes on Chris Stynes, and just as he got to two strikes the sun came out,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. ``I looked up when I saw it reflecting off the Plexiglas (in right field), and I no sooner saw that then Stynes put the ball in play and the throw (Beltre) put over to Fred. Obviously, he was blinded when he looked up to try and find the ball. Those are two huge runs.''

The Dodgers chipped away with single runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings to pull within 5-3 but couldn't tie it in the seventh after Paul Lo Duca singled. The Rockies only needed one left-hander, Javier Lopez, to get through left-handed batters Shawn Green and McGriff, and left Jordan on deck.

The Rockies made it 7-3 in the seventh inning when the left-handed batting Walker singled in two runs off right-hander Guillermo Mota, marking the first time in 19 innings the Dodgers' bullpen allowed a run.

``We can't get away from our goals; to win series,'' Dodgers second baseman Alex Cora said. ``We have to come back and swing the bats a little better.''