DODGERS BLOW LEAD IN NINTH : EXPOS BEAT WORRELL 3-2.

Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer

Throughout their prolonged, teamwide hitting slump, the Dodgers have been able to cling to a shred of consolation: Their pitching, whether from starters or relievers, is the finest west of Atlanta, has kept them in every game and at least given them opportunities to win the close ones.

Well, the Dodgers strayed outside a dangerously narrow margin Monday night at Dodger Stadium. The result: The Montreal Expos scored all of their runs in the final inning, wiped out a tenuous Dodgers' advantage, and stole a 3-2 victory before 25,600 fans.

It was the Dodgers' sixth loss in their last nine outings and one of the more excruciating in some time. ``This one hurt tonight,'' said Delino DeShields, ``no doubt about it.''

Understandably. Pedro Astacio, in his first outing since the Dodgers declared that he, not Chan Ho Park, would remain in the rotation upon Ramon Martinez's return from the disabled list today, pitched shutout ball through eight innings. The Dodgers backed him with superb defense and eked out a 2-0 lead.

But in the ninth, Astacio faltered, giving up singles to Mark Grudzielanek and Mike Lansing.

And Todd Worrell simply couldn't hold it.

In blowing his second save in 10 opportunities this season, the Dodgers' closer gave up hits to three of the four batters he faced. David Segui's bases-loaded double drove in two runs to tie it. And Darrin Fletcher's sacrifice fly to left nudged across the deciding run.

Yes, the Dodgers' customary hiccup of offense didn't provide much room with which to work. Still . . .

``Obviously, you'd like to score more runs,'' said Eric Karros, who broke an 0-for-24 slump with a 2-for-4 night, ``but when you go into the ninth inning with a two-run lead, you should win.''

It continued a reasonably rough stretch for Worrell (1-2). In a little over a week, spanning five appearances, he saw his scoreless-innings streak end at 24-1/3 and blew two save chances.

The Dodgers couldn't counter in the bottom of the ninth against Expos closer Mel Rojas. Roger Cedeno drew a one-out walk, but Rojas blew down Raul Mondesi and Mike Piazza on strikes to earn his sixth save.

Piazza earlier had homered off Barry Manuel (2-0) in the seventh to account for the Dodgers' second run. But it was a wasted opportunity an inning early that the Dodgers found particularly grating.

In the sixth, against Montreal starter Rheal Cormier, the Dodgers loaded the bases with none out, getting a single from Piazza, a double from Karros and an infield single from Billy Ashley, who was activated off the disabled list before the game.

DeShields got one run home with a fielder's choice, but Mike Blowers popped out to the infield and Cormier, after walking Greg Gagne intentionally, closed out the inning with a strikeout of Astacio.

``We're just not catching the breaks,'' said DeShields, whose grounder almost got through the infield for a two-RBI hit. ``When you've got the bases loaded, you've got to get more runs.

``They (the Expos) have some good ballplayers over there, but we let too many chances get away. That's been the difference in our season. We haven't cashed in.''

It's a prevailing sentiment. ``It seems like we're that close to putting it together,'' said Wallace, ``but there's a missing link in the chain. We have to keep figuring it out.''

One potential solution was tried Monday afternoon. The Dodgers revamped their batting-practice regimen, extending it by nearly an hour and affording four prominent players - Karros, Piazza, Mondesi and Blowers - private sessions in the cage of 15 minutes each.

``We scored two runs,'' Karros said in the game's aftermath. ``It's too early to tell (if it will do any good).''

In the meantime, the Dodgers may have little recourse other than to continue making their pitch.

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