DODGERS HAVE TROUBLE PLAYING CATCH VS. A'S : OAKLAND 7, DODGERS 3.

Byline: Matt McHale Daily News Staff Writer

It's unlikely Mark McGwire could have done more damage to the Dodgers last week than rookie Blake Stein did Monday night.

Stein, part of the big McGwire trade last July between Oakland and St. Louis, took advantage of a rare Charles Johnson error and came within two outs of a complete game to beat the Dodgers 7-3 in front of 27,027, the second smallest Dodger Stadium crowd this season.

Not only did Stein (2-3) strike out 10, allow just five hits and one walk, he halted any momentum the Dodgers gained by taking two of three over the weekend in Seattle.

He out-pitched the Dodgers hottest starter, Ramon Martinez. Stein humbled the Dodgers in the first of a six-game home stand against sub-.500 opponents, against which the club was hoping to get back into the NL West race.

Stein left after Eric Karros hit a two-run homer in the ninth. But for the Dodgers it was too little too late. They now trail division-leading San Francisco by 8-1/2 games.

``We are playing better, this is only one game,'' Martinez said. ``We faced a good pitcher, but we'll come back.''

Before Karros' homer, Stein's only mistake was a fifth-inning home run to another emerging rookie Paul Konerko, who now has eight RBI in his past three games. Konerko also singled to open the eighth inning.

Martinez (7-3) was in search of his sixth consecutive victory, but he never got on track in seven innings.

He was undone in one out into the game on an error by Johnson, after former Dodger Mike Blowers hit a perfect double-play comebacker to the mound with the bases loaded.

Martinez fielded it and threw to the plate, but the ball ticked off the glove of Johnson, who won a Gold Glove last year. It was his fourth error this season - after not making any a year ago. Two runs scored on the play, leading to four runs (three unearned) in the inning. The Dodgers never recovered.

``If only I could have gotten out of the first inning,'' Martinez said. ``It was just a little thing, but it turned out to be big.''

Johnson agreed. As part of the big May 15 Mike Piazza trade, Johnson's defense behind the plate was a critical ingredient to the deal.

``I thought I had it, but when I went to squeeze it, I lost it,'' Johnson said. ``It was the type of play where I should have gotten him out of the jam. It could have really changed the outcome of the game.''

Maybe.

Martinez, who walked five and allowed six hits and four earned runs, was not on his game from the start. Before Johnson's error, Martinez loaded the bases with two walks and a base hit.

He did the same thing in his previous start last Wednesday against the Cardinals, but he recovered to allow one run in seven innings. He also walked five in that game and now has 16 in three starts since his brilliant 7-1 victory May 23 at Arizona, when he retired 24 consecutive batters.

Against the Cardinals, who were playing without the injured McGwire, the Dodgers scored seven runs.

``I am not going to worry about the walks,'' Martinez said. ``I always walk guys. As long as we're winning, walks don't matter.''

Reliever Mark Guthrie didn't fare much better, allowing a three-run homer to Jason Giambi in the seventh to complete Oakland's scoring.

After Karros opened the second inning with a single, Stein retired the next 11 Dodgers, seven by strikeouts. Konerko then homered with two outs in the fifth, but Stein struck out Johnson to end the inning.

Stein, who made his major-league debut May 10 against the Chicago White Sox, was routed by the Angels 12-2 on May 21 at Edison Field. But against the Dodgers he was masterful.

``I was just trying to be aggressive, throwing fastballs, mixing in sliders at certain times,'' Stein said. ``I went out there tonight, tried to stay focused. I was able to concentrate the whole night.''

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PHOTO (Color) JASON GIAMBI

Oakland slugger hit a three-run homer that added to the Dodgers' frustrations.