DODGERS DUST OFF WINNING STREAK NEWCOMERS HELP FINISH 3-GAME SWEEP DODGERS 4, WASHINGTON 3.

Byline: RICH HAMMOND  Staff Writer

The formerly stumbling, bumbling Dodgers needed most of the game to get going Sunday afternoon, but they only required a couple timely hits to establish some momentum at a crucial point in their season.

Starting pitcher Mark Hendrickson fell off the mound in the second inning, and through six innings the Dodgers went 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position, but they rallied in the late innings to defeat the Washington Nationals 4-3 and complete a three-game sweep in front of 43,346 fans at Dodger Stadium.

After two weeks of despair, the Dodgers hit the road with a legitimate winning streak, and their spirits might improve even more if general manager Ned Colletti can pull off a trade before today's deadline.

``We're proud of the way things have gone in the last three days,'' manager Grady Little said. ``Today was just an exceptional game all around.''

Colletti has been working on trades in recent days in an attempt to boost both the Dodgers' pitching staff and lineup, but perhaps a handful of recent additions might give the Dodgers the boost they need.

Wilson Betemit, acquired from the Atlanta Braves on Friday, made his Dodgers debut with a start at third base and went 3 for 4 with two doubles. James Loney, recalled from Triple-A on Saturday, doubled in the eighth inning and scored the winning run when Cesar Izturis followed with a double.

Then there was Hendrickson, who survived the embarrassment of his mound stumble, one destined to be seen on highlight reels for years to come, and pitched six solid innings in a no-decision effort.

Hendrickson allowed three runs in six innings, and left the game trailing 3-2. Jose Cruz Jr. tied the score with a pinch-hit home run in the seventh, one of three solo home runs by the Dodgers, and Brett Tomko, Jonathan Broxton (2-0) and Takashi Saito combined for three scoreless innings of relief.

``I think this is an important win for us,'' said Hendrickson, who made his sixth start for the Dodgers and turned in his second quality start. ``We're starting to do what we need to do to win. This is an important road trip, so we need to go out and continue to do it.''

For a while, it looked as though the Dodgers' day might end in frustration. Austin Kearns led off the second inning with a double, Ryan Church walked and the Nationals took a 1-0 lead when Damian Jackson singled up the middle to score Kearns.

Then came the oddest sight of the season. On his first pitch to pitcher Ramon Ortiz, Hendrickson caught his right cleat on the pitching rubber and tumbled to the ground, quite a sight given his 6-foot-9 frame.

``We're fortunate that he wasn't hurt,'' Little said. ``Just his feelings were hurt.''

Hendrickson got up and dusted himself off, but Church scored from third on the balk for a 2-0 lead.

``It wasn't something I was too happy about, but things happen,'' Hendrickson said. ``Unfortunately a run scored because of it, but it turned out not to hurt us.''

J.D. Drew and Andre Ethier tied the score with back- to-back home runs with two outs in the third, but Washington retook the lead when Felipe Lopez doubled home Ortiz from first.

After Cruz's seventh-inning home run, the Dodgers finally manufactured a run. Four times in the first six innings, the Dodgers got a leadoff double but couldn't score.

Loney finally figured it out in the eighth. He waited until one out had been recorded, then blasted a double off Jon Rauch (3-2) to the gap in right-center field.

Izturis followed with a hard chopper that deflected off the glove of first baseman Nick Johnson, and Loney scored from second with the go-ahead run.

``I kind of saw it when I was running, out of the corner of my eye,'' Loney said. ``I didn't know if it got by him or not but (third-base coach Rich Donnelly) was waving me, so I went.''

Loney's double was his only hit in four at-bats, but he also moved two runners to third base with well-placed groundouts.

Loney's status provides an interesting side-note to the trade-deadline scenarios.

Under normal circumstances, he might be the Dodgers' everyday first baseman. Loney's performance in Triple-A -- .372 average, eight home runs and 57 RBIs -- indicates that he doesn't have much left to prove there, but the Dodgers' surplus of infielders, which now includes Betemit, is blocking his path.

Loney struggled, with a .225 average, in an early-season audition with the Dodgers, but with Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent on the disabled list, Loney might get a second chance to impress.

``I'm glad to be back,'' Loney said. ``I was working hard to get back here.''

Betemit is happy to be in Los Angeles as well. He'd heard trade rumors for weeks, but they mostly involved San Diego and San Francisco.

Free from Atlanta, where he struggled to find consistent playing time behind Chipper Jones, Betemit will get a good look from the Dodgers, and so far they like what they see.

``They told me I was in the lineup, so I just wanted to go out and play hard,'' Betemit said. ``They told me I would get an opportunity to play, so we'll see what happens.''

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CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) CAPITAL GAINS

(2) Dodgers starter Mark Hendrickson falls while attempting to deliver a pitch. The play was ruled a balk, allowing a run to score.

(3) Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal leaps over Washington's Robert Fick while turning a double play in the eighth inning.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer