DODGERS BREEZE, SEE RAYS OF HOPE DODGERS 10, TAMPA BAY 5.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Today, Kevin Brown is eligible to come off the disabled list, but instead the right-hander will undergo surgery to repair a protruding disc in his back.

Usually, such news is enough to slam a team over the head and create a funk that lasts for days, maybe weeks.

But when the Dodgers receive distressing news about Brown's health, they seem to take it in stride and then do what they've done much of the season: win baseball games.

Hours after learning they will be without the one-time staff ace Brown, Marquis Grissom hit a two-run homer, Shawn Green belted a three-run homer and Hideo Nomo pitched six innings and won his fourth in a row as the Dodgers pounded the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-5 Monday in interleague play at Tropicana Field.

The Dodgers (38-25) are a season-high 13 games over .500 and are 5-2 with two games remaining on the trip. They have won 10 of 13 and are within a game of first-place Arizona in the National League West, and have a clear goal before returning home to face the Angels on Friday.

``We've got to finish this off,'' Green said of the road trip. ``We gained on Arizona and the Giants lost, too. We want to try and get home in first place; tied for first or in first. If we can win these next two games, then we'd have had about as good a road trip as you can have. If we win this series, it's a good road trip, but at this point we want to go 7-2.''

There was little doubt against a Devil Rays team that seems more suited for ``Bull Durham'' than the big leagues. They are a major-league-worst 20-42, have apathy that brought just 10,905 fans to the Dodgers' first game at the Trop and were out of it the moment Grissom smashed Wilson Alvarez's 0-2 offering well over the left-field fence to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

Hiram Bocachica capped the three-run inning with an RBI single through the middle.

It was Grissom's eighth homer as the center-field platoon of Roberts and Grissom continues to operate at peak efficiency. They are batting a combined .304 with 10 homers and 38 RBI.

``I think the opportunity to utilize both guys, and build an environment for them where they have the opportunity for optimum success, is the right way to go,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said.

``They're both shining. I think it's working very well.''

Bocachica added an RBI double in the fifth inning and later scored on Green's team-leading 15th homer, an opposite-field shot off Alvarez (1-2) that was the highlight of a five-run inning. Adrian Beltre added a sacrifice fly that gave the Dodgers an 8-0 lead.

``It would be very easy to have a letdown,'' Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros said. ``We just won two games in Baltimore, came off an emotional game (Sunday). It was nice to get out to an early lead here and kind of take them out of the ballgame and make us comfortable.''

Nomo (6-5) certainly looked like he was out for a nice evening on the Gulf Coast. He struck out three and walked two. Since losing May 12 in Florida, Nomo is 4-0 with a 3.13 ERA.

``I guess you could say he's just using the back leg stronger,'' Dodgers pitching coach Jim Colborn said.

``Shoot, this was his best fastball. The first five innings, they didn't even hit a ball on the ground because the fastball was so good. He had a lot of popups, broken bats and threw a lot of fastballs by them.''

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Photo:

Tampa Bay Devil Rays left fielder Greg Vaughn dives but can't prevent a double by the Dodgers' Paul Lo Duca in the eighth inning.

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press