DODGERS BULLPEN BLOWS UP ALLOWS SEVEN RUNS IN THE 7TH INNING.

Byline: BILLY WITZ

Staff Writer

The days of Game Over being flashed on the Dodger Stadium scoreboard as the goggled reliever made his way across the left-field grass might be over, but the spirit has lived on.

As soon as the bullpen gates swing open in the late innings, the Dodgers' dangerous, deep and diverse relief corps has shut the door on opponents.

All of which made Friday night all the more stunning, as the Chicago Cubs ravaged four Dodger relievers for seven runs in the seventh inning, rallying from a five-run deficit to take an 8-5 lead.

The Dodgers managed a rally of their own in the eighth, Olmedo Saenz driving in two runs with the bases loaded, cutting the deficit to 8-7 with none out when this edition of the Daily News went to press.

So airtight has the Dodgers' bullpen been that the team hadn't blown a lead of more than three runs this season, and in 24 previous games where they carried a lead into the seventh inning, they'd lost just once.

Neither were there any signs that a collapse might be brought on by the Cubs, who had scored five runs the past three days in San Diego.

The meltdown wasted a brilliant performance by Derek Lowe.

On the few occasions where the Cubs put a runner on base, he served up one of his heavy sinkers and they pounded it into the ground. The Dodgers turned double plays to end the third and fourth innings, and he escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the fifth by getting former Dodger Cesar Izturis to ground out and then striking out pitcher Ted Lilly on three pitches.

The only time the Cubs managed to harm Lowe was in the sixth when Alfonso Soriano singled, stole second and came home on Derrek Lee's double. But all seemed well and good when Lee struck out Michael Barrett with a sharp breaking slider with two aboard to end the inning.

Lowe had thrown just 83 pitches, but it seemed a perfectly reasonable proposition to turn it over to the bullpen.

And the seventh started innocently enough. Joe Beimel gave up a single to Jacque Jones, but retired Izturis on a fly ball. Little then turned to Yhency Brazoban and it soon fell apart.

Brazoban, who made a dynamic return from Tommy John surgery striking out the side in the ninth inning against Milwaukee on Wednesday, walked pinch-hitter Matt Murton and then Alfonso Soriano and Mark DeRosa ripped doubles, closing the Cubs within 5-4.

Little then turned to Jonathan Broxton, but the hits kept coming.

Lee ripped a double to left-center, tying the score.

That he was picked off - the only batter Broxton retired - didn't much matter.

Aramis Ramirez lined a sharp single to right, Cliff Floyd followed with another hard single and Michael Barrett singled to put the Cubs ahead. Jacque Jones double, making it 7-5 and chasing Broxton.

Rudy Saenz's pitching was better, but his luck wasn't.

When third baseman Tony Abreu bounced a throw on Izturis' grounder and Nomar Garciaparra couldn't scoop it up, Barrett scored to make it 8-5.

Finally, Saenz struck out Murton and the crowd - both the Cubs and Dodgers fans - cheered.

Not only did the meltdown ruin Lowe's night, it also diminished the work done by Jeff Kent, who homered and doubled to drive in two runs, and also drove another ball to the warning track. His four RBIs pushed his career total to 1,407 and moved him ahead of Robin Yount into 62nd place all-time.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Dodgers' Jeff Kent forces out Chicago's Cesar Izturis at second base in the third inning.

(2) Dodgers starter Derek Lowe left Friday's game with a 5-1 lead after the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer