DODGERS GET GROOVE WITH FURCAL BACK SHORTSTOP RETURNS, HELPS L.A. TRIUMPH.

Byline: TONY JACKSON 

Staff Writer

For nine games, the Dodgers had blown just enough smoke, flashed just enough mirrors and come up with just enough quality pitching to fake their way through the absence of Rafael Furcal. So when the club's shortstop and offensive catalyst returned Friday from the sprained left ankle that had sidelined him since late in spring training, the Dodgers finally were free to drop all pretense and simply be themselves.

If this is who they truly are -- a pitching-rich, offensively potent and now National League West-leading club that began its biggest series of the young season with a 9-1 pounding of the rival San Diego Padres in front of 49,090 at Dodger Stadium -- it's going to be an interesting summer at Chavez Ravine.

Furcal went 2 for 5 with a pair of doubles, driving in two runs with one of them, and made fournice defensive plays. Derek Lowe was outstanding for the second start in a row, scattering seven hits over eight innings while allowing just one run.

Luis Gonzalez homered and singled off veteran lefty David Wells, who was gone by the third inning. Brady Clark, getting his first start of the season in place of slumping right fielder Andre Ethier, singled, doubled and scored twice.

And the surging Dodgers leapfrogged Arizona to take over first place for the first time this season. Given the fact the move forward came on the night Furcal made his return, the symbolism can't be ignored.

"Having him in there changes the whole look of our lineup," Gonzalez said. "It moves Russell Martin down behind me, which gives us much stronger depth down toward the bottom of the order. Furcal can hit for power, he can steal bases, and he can combine with Juan Pierre at the top of the order to create messes for the (opposing) defense and the pitching."

Furcal, batting right-handed, grounded out and took a called third strike from Wells in the first two innings.

But after Wells' early exit, Furcal turned around against reliever Mike Thompson and hit mirror-image doubles -- one that rolled to the wall in right-center, another that rolled to the wall in left-center -- in the fourth and fifth.

The defining moment came in the third inning, when Wells hit a smash up the middle off Lowe that appeared destined for center field. But Furcal made a diving stop behind the bag, scrambled to his feet and threw out Wells by two steps.

Furcal played all nineinnings, striking out in his final at-bat.

"Having been on the disabled list since spring training, I was just so happy to come back and do the best I can," Furcal said. "Last year, (the Padres) got us good. But this is another year, and everything is different."

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