DODGERS BEATEN IN THE 14TH : THEIR SHORT-HANDED BULLPEN CAN'T CONTAIN SHEFFIELD MARLINS 7, DODGERS 6.

Byline: Tim Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Five innings after his two-run double tied the score in the ninth, Gary Sheffield doubled and scored in the 14th inning and the Florida Marlins defeated the Dodgers 7-6 Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

Sheffield hit a leadoff double against Dodgers right-hander Darren Dreifort (0-1), and scored from third on Terry Pendleton's grounder to shortstop. Dreifort was in his fourth inning of relief.

The Dodgers scored one run in the final 10 innings. In the same span, Sheffield hit a two-run homer and a two-run double.

The Marlins committed six errors, which led to four unearned runs. When Mike Piazza doesn't hit, the Dodgers need those kinds of scoring aids. And Piazza is hitless in his past 17 at-bats.

Piazza's last hit was in the fifth inning on Sunday. His average then was a league-leading .363. It fell to .347 after seven more hitless at-bats Thursday, when he struck out once and six times failed to drive the ball out of the infield. He has one RBI since July 21, and his last home run was on July 17.

Piazza last had such a fruitless stretch in mid-June, when an 0-for-12 run gave way to a productive .341 July. The middle of the Dodgers' order - Piazza, Eric Karros and Todd Hollandsworth - was 1 for 19.

Dodgers closer Todd Worrell blew his seventh save opportunity when the Marlins scored twice in the top of the ninth inning. The rally began with shortstop Greg Gagne's one-out error, which allowed Jesus Tavarez to reach first base. With two out and Tavarez still at first base, Worrell gave up a single to Edgar Renteria, a double to Sheffield and another single to Jeff Conine before the inning was done.

Worrell has blown three of his last seven chances.

The two runs were unearned, and brought the Marlins back from a 6-4 deficit.

The Dodgers appeared poised to win in the first extra inning, when they had runners at first and third with none out against reliever Jay Powell. However, Hollandsworth was out at the plate attempting to score on a grounder, and the Dodgers stranded Raul Mondesi at third base.

It was a bad night to go 14 innings. Since the Dodgers traded Joey Eischen to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, they are operating with a 10-man pitching staff, one smaller than usual.

For the third time in the three-game series the Dodgers scored in the first inning, and this time it was against Marlins starter John Burkett, who four months ago threw a two-hitter at the Dodgers.

The Dodgers scored twice, for six first-inning runs in the series, on two of the Marlins' four infield errors.

Chad Curtis walked and Delino DeShields singled before Piazza struck out. However, on strike three to Piazza, Curtis and DeShields broke to steal, and catcher Bob Natal's throw to third base struck Piazza's bat and ricocheted down the left-field line. Curtis scored and DeShields moved to third.

DeShields scored when third baseman Pendleton failed to field a grounder hit by Karros. The Dodgers led 2-0.

Uncharacteristically, the Marlins, whose defense is ranked second to the Chicago Cubs' in the National League, continued to hand out runs.

In the third inning, with DeShields at third base, first baseman Conine waved at a hard grounder by Hollandsworth, only deflected it, and allowed DeShields to score. The Dodgers led 3-1.

And, just in case Burkett was angry about the way his defense played around him, he committed an error in the fourth that led to two unearned runs. Burkett dropped a comebacker by Dave Hansen, then Gagne doubled into the right-field corner. Pedro Astacio singled through the Marlins' drawn-in infield to score Hansen, and Gagne scored on Curtis' double-play grounder. Astacio has three hits, all singles, and each drove in runs, against John Smoltz, Al Leiter and, now, Burkett.

The Dodgers led 5-1, because of four unearned runs, and because Astacio allowed three or fewer runs for his ninth consecutive start outside of Denver.

Astacio has become the club's dominant starter, due in part to his willingness to pitch into the late innings. He lasted at least eight innings in two of his previous three starts, and at least six in his past five starts. He also pitched an inning of scoreless relief Sunday in Houston.

Astacio rolled into the seventh inning, had two out and a runner at third base, when the Marlins scored three times. Rookie Renteria hit a run-scoring double past third base and Sheffield hit a 2-and-2 fastball over the left-field fence, his 29th home run.

Astacio was relieved after 6-2/3 innings, during which he allowed nine hits, a walk and four runs. He left with a 5-4 lead.

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PHOTO Dodgers' Pedro Astacio, who later had an RBI single,lays down a sacrifice bunt against Florida.

Associated Press