DODGERS FINALLY SHOW SOME CLOUT : DODGERS 12 PITTSBURGH 7.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

During those optimistic days in Dodgertown, the Dodgers talked of power and pitching and an ability to end games early by overwhelming opponents.

Rarely mentioned was teamwork, nor the fact one player would have to sacrifice for the good of the group.

That takes time. Lots of time. Three months time, maybe.

The Dodgers feel good these days, mainly because the offense is coming around. For the second time in three days, the Dodgers hit a season-high four homers as they bashed the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-7 Monday at Three Rivers Stadium.

Catcher Todd Hundley had the biggest blow, a third-inning grand slam that gave Darren Dreifort a 7-2 lead and plenty of breathing room. Eric Karros added a three-run homer and Todd Hollandsworth and Raul Mondesi chipped in solo shots as the Dodgers (42-49) won for the seventh time in nine games.

``I love offense,'' Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said. ``Offense makes everything better. If we swing the bats, we field better, pitch better. I think in this day and age they talk about pitching, but you've got to swing that lumber.''

The win instantly lifted the Dodgers out of the basement, a half-game ahead of Colorado in the NL West. Whether the Dodgers ended the day as cellar-dwelling roomies with the Rockies depended on Colorado's game in Oakland. A loss by Colorado would move the Dodgers out of last place for the first time since June 27.

``We're playing like we should be playing, getting guys on and getting guys in,'' said Dodgers left fielder and leader Gary Sheffield, who had three hits and reached base five times. ``We're taking our walks and pitchers are doing their jobs. We're playing relaxed right now. We're starting to believe in each other. We're playing as a team.''

Sheffield, riddled with controversy before his L.A. days, has become a stabilizing force in the Dodgers' clubhouse. The All-Star has been the Dodgers' best player - he leads in batting (.304), walks (56) and on-base percentage (.411) - and has shown an ability to dissect and understand what is happening. And why it's happening.

``There was a lot of selfish things going on,'' Sheffield said. ``Chan Ho Park's (fight with the Angels' Tim Belcher) was a selfish incident. Carlos Perez (beating a water cooler with a bat) on ESPN was a selfish incident. The fight with Seattle, that was us, being together, as a team. Time will tell everything. You can't judge it on a few months.''

It's also an understanding that not every hit has to be a home run. Sheffield hasn't homered since June 27, but his willingness to walk has provided run-producing opportunities for others.

Against the Pirates, Sheffield's first-inning single gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead off Pirates loser Jose Silva (2-8). Karros and Todd Hollandsworth followed with RBI singles as the first five Dodgers had hits.

Pittsburgh, which had beaten the Dodgers six of seven times, pulled within 3-2 in the bottom of the first but Hundley's fifth career grand slam in the third gave Dreifort (8-8) a comfortable cushion.

``I was just trying to hit a sacrifice fly to get the guy in,'' Hundley said. ``When I hit it, I knew it was gone. That's a bonus.''

It's the type of offense sorely lacking from the Dodgers until two weeks ago. They've scored in double digits in four of the past nine games after reaching that number twice in the first 82 games.

How bad was the Dodgers offense for June and the first week of July? The seven runs the Dodgers scored in the first three innings against the Pirates were more than they scored in 26 of the 33 games they played from June 1 through July 7.

``Early on, pitchers that were pitching against us, by the sixth or seventh inning, they probably had 60 or 70 pitches,'' Hundley said. ``It think, as a group, we've become more patient.''

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) The Dodgers' offense gave starter Darren Dreifort more than enough support as he improved his record to 8-8.

(2) Todd Hundley takes a trip around the bases after hitting his fifth career grand slam to give the Dodgers a 7-2 lead. L.A. hit four home runs in the victory.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press