DODGERS AREN'T LOOKING SO GOOD IN ROLE OF LEADING MEN GIVEN AN EARLY ADVANTAGE, PITCHING STAFF ONCE AGAIN CAN'T HOLD IT IN LOSS TO PIRATES PITTSBURGH 7, DODGERS 6.

Byline: TONY JACKSON Staff Writer

PITTSBURGH - Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent, visibly flabbergasted by the fact reporters wanted to talk to him after a forgettable game in which he went hitless in five at-bats and had little impact on the outcome, said Tuesday night that it was silly to pass judgement on his team just eight games into the season.

Passing judgement on them after the first inning isn't too smart, either.

In what is becoming their usual habit, the Dodgers exploded out of the gate, scoring three runs before first-time starter Jae Seo even walked to the mound. But in what is becoming their recurring nightmare, that early lead shriveled up and died, leaving the Dodgers with a sour, 7-6 loss to the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates in front of 17,240 at PNC Park and ruining a 4-for-4, two-homer performance by Dodgers third baseman Bill Mueller.

It was the sixth time in eight games the Dodgers have scored at least two runs in the first inning (they've won only three of those games) and the fourth time they have scored at least three runs (they've won only two of those).

All of which can be blamed, of course, on a starting rotation that, with the obvious exception of right-hander Brad Penny, has yet to find its footing and a bullpen that, with the obvious exception of closer Danys Baez, appears to be a confusing mishmash of ineptitude.

Not that anyone is passing judgement or anything.

"I'm caught off-guard by (the media's) concern," said a bemused Kent. "I think we're playing some good baseball, getting a lot of hits and scoring a lot of runs. We have played in some bad weather other than the last couple of days.

"We're playing .500 baseball eight games in. I remember last year, we (started) 12-2, and you guys had us in the World Series. Now, we're at .500 after eight games, and you want to be concerned.

"I'm kind of perplexed by that."

But Dodgers manager Grady Little is perplexed by this: In those eight games, his club has scored 51 runs, an average of 6.4, and yet somehow, his pitching staff has failed to parlay that into anything more than a pedestrian 4-4 record.

"Evidently, averaging six runs a game isn't enough just yet," Little said.

Seo, the fifth starter who hadn't been needed for that role until now, had made one previous relief appearance, and he had begun by retiring eight consecutive Atlanta Braves on April 4 before giving up three runs on three consecutive extra-base hits. This outing was just like that one, except without the strong start.

The three-run lead was whittled to one by the end of the first inning, when Jeromy Burnitz hit a two-run homer.

Pirates hitters homered three times on Seo, who gave up five runs on seven hits and left after five mediocre innings and 89 pitches. By that time, the Pirates had sliced the Dodgers' lead to 6-5.

"I think the three home runs I allowed were due more to location than anything," said Seo, speaking through an interpreter. "I didn't put the ball where I wanted to put it. All three pitches caught a lot of the plate."

Lance Carter (0-1) relieved Seo to start the sixth, and the one-run lead he inherited lasted exactly one pitch. Craig Wilson became the fourth Pirates hitter of the evening to homer.

"Not what I was looking for," Carter said. "Not at all."

Joe Randa followed with a double past a diving Mueller. Carter settled in to retire the next six batters, but during that string Randa, who had moved up on Jose Castillo's groundout, jogged home with the winning run on Ryan Doumit's one-out flyball to right.

Mike Gonzalez retired the heart of the Dodgers' lineup in the ninth for his first save.

Other than Baez, who is closing in Eric Gagne's absence and hasn't allowed a run in four appearances, the Dodgers' bullpen still has no established pecking order. It is a collective 0-3 with a 4.45 ERA, and Little says he feels no urgency to lock his other six relievers into specific roles until their respective performances define those roles for him.

"We certainly need better results in that area," he said. "(But) we're not pushing any panic buttons after the eighth game of the season."

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Pittsburgh's Ryan Doumit is greeted at the dugout steps by manager Jim Tracy after driving in the winning run in the sixth inning Tuesday with a sacrifice fly to right field.

(2) The Dodgers' Rafael Furcal is hit with the ball as he steals second while Pittsburgh second baseman Jose Castillo waits for the throw from catcher Ryan Doumit during the first inning. Furcal advanced to third on the errant throw and Doumit was charged with an error.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Box:

DODGERS AT PITTSBURGH

- Tony Jackson