DODGERS ARE ONLY 1/2 SAFE : PADRES' VICTORY KEEPS RACE TIGHT; NOMO NOT SHARP SAN DIEGO 3, DODGERS 2.

Byline: Tim Brown Daily News Staff Writer

In a series that failed to separate the two most accomplished teams in the National League West, the Dodgers and San Diego Padres played to a four-game draw, and so the biggest series of the season will have to come at another time, perhaps next weekend in Los Angeles.

Or, maybe, this was it. Perhaps this wasn't about two teams attempting to drown each other but two teams holding the other's head above water. The Padres defeated the Dodgers 3-2 Sunday afternoon at Jack Murphy Stadium, where an announced crowd of 51,092 saw the Padres again draw to within a half-game of the Dodgers.

In the meantime, the Montreal Expos fell another game back in the wild-card standings and so are two games behind the Padres, 2-1/2 behind the Dodgers. By Friday, the three-game series at Dodger Stadium could be a seeding tournament rather than anything playoff-life threatening.

The Dodgers left here with a split: their bottom-line wish upon arrival, their hind-sighted disappointment upon departure. Given their second chance in three days to take their strongest grip yet on the West, the Dodgers showed up without their best Hideo Nomo and without the offense that scored 18 runs the previous three days.

The Padres scored three runs in the fifth inning, two on Steve Finley's third home run of the series, then asked the late-afternoon shadows and their bullpen to make the runs stand up. The combination proved plenty tough for the Dodgers, who had one hit - Mike Piazza's 36th home run - in the final four innings.

``Both teams had chances to distance themselves at some point in the season,'' Dodgers second baseman Delino DeShields said. ``Neither team's been able to do it, so I guess this is the way it's supposed to be.''

They apparently will walk hand-in-hand through the week - the Padres host the Colorado Rockies for two games, the Dodgers host the San Francisco Giants for three - then resume their seasonlong affair.

``I've been saying all along this series wasn't going to decide anything unless we swept,'' Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros said. ``(The Padres) played well. Their pitching was good. Finley can hit home runs. And they can still play well when Tony (Gwynn) is not hitting.''

That was what Karros learned about the Padres over four games, the majority of which were dictated by pitching. Padres starter Andy Ashby (9-5), who pitched on three days' rest, held on as long as Nomo did, which was five innings. They each allowed seven hits, though Nomo gave up one more critical hit than Ashby.

Nomo (16-11), who allowed two hits in his previous 17 innings, allowed three hits to the Padres in the first eight batters. He was wild and his velocity suffered, perhaps a result of the effort he put out in his last start, when he no-hit the Rockies in Denver. Nomo required 99 pitches for those five innings, 37 in the fifth inning alone. The three-run fifth was the biggest inning of the series for the Padres.

``We got behind too many guys,'' said Piazza, Nomo's catcher. ``He didn't have his best stuff today and they jumped all over him. But he kept us in the game as much as he could.''

Johnny Vander Meer is safe again.

``He still only gave up three runs,'' Dodgers manager Bill Russell said. ``It still gave us an opportunity.''

They missed most of those early, particularly in the first five innings against Ashby. Instead, their offense consisted of two home runs, both without baserunners, one by Raul Mondesi in the fourth and the other by Piazza. Piazza's reached the second deck in left field, which caught only 12 previous homers.

The Dodgers left runners at first and third with one out in the first, and at first and second with none out in the second. Karros struck out three times, including in the first inning, with a runner at third base and less than two out.

``I don't think I had one pitch over the plate today,'' Karros said. ``Everything was over a corner. This is as well as I've been pitched all year long.''

Trevor Hoffman, who saved Friday's game for the Padres, pitched the final 1-2/3 innings with a one-run lead for his 39th save. He walked pinch-hitter Dave Clark with two out in the ninth but struck out Todd Hollandsworth to clinch the split.

``The pressure's still on them, because they still have to catch us,'' Russell said. ``And we still have a long way to go, too.''

MATERIAL/IMMATERIAL AT THE MURPH

In the four-game, showdown series in San Diego, this is who showed up - and who didn't:

WHO SHOWED

Mike Piazza, Dodgers, 5 for 13, 2 homers, 7 RBI 

Steve Finley, Padres, 5 for 15, 3 homers, 4 RBI

Ramon Martinez, Dodgers, 6-hit, 12-strikeout shutout in opener

Raul Mondesi, Dodgers, 6 for 17, 1 homer, 4 RBI

Trevor Hoffman, Padres, 2 saves, 5 strikeouts

Joey Hamilton, Padres, 7-2/3 innings, 2 runs in game 2

Wayne Kirby, Dodgers, 5 for 11

Dodgers bullpen, 9-1/3 innings, 1 run

WHO DIDN'T

Tony Gwynn, Padres, 3 for 15, 1 RBI

Todd Hollandsworth, Dodgers, 4 for 19, 0 RBI

Tim Wallach, Dodgers, 1 for 14, 0 RBI, 0 runs

Wally Joyner, Padres, 2 for 14, 0 homers, 1 RBI

Greg Vaughn, Padres, 1 for 8, 0 RBI

Fernando Valenzuela, Padres, 1-2/3 innings, 3 earned runs in opener

Ken Caminiti, Padres, 4 for 13, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 7 strikeouts

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Photo: (1,2--color) Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo, abo ve, wipes away sweat in the fifth inning, during which the Padres scored three runs. He wasn't nearly as effective as in his no-hitter in his previous start against the Rockies. The stubborn Padres, right, celebrate with Rickey Henderson after he scored in their big fifth.

David Crane / Daily News

Box: MATERIAL/IMMATERIAL AT THE MURPH (see text)