DODGERS HIT LOWE POINT PITCHING WOES CONTINUE IN LOSS CUBS 9, DODGERS 5.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

The headline on the cover of a well-known national sports publication this week proclaimed the death of baseball's long-ball era. But the Dodgers' beleaguered pitching staff apparently didn't get the memo.

In a 9-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs in front of a bobblehead-induced, sellout crowd of 54,093 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, Dodgers pitchers Derek Lowe and Duaner Sanchez served up two more gopher balls, both at just about the most inopportune times imaginable.

Lowe, the closest thing the Dodgers have to a staff ace, came tantalizingly close to pitching out of a second-and-third, none-out jam in the top of the third, only to give up a three-run homer to spindly leadoff man Neifi Perez, putting the Dodgers in an early, 4-0 hole.

Sanchez, back to the mound for a second inning of relief after the Dodgers had closed to within 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh, came tantalizingly close to sailing through the eighth before giving up a pair of two-out singles and a three-run homer to Derrek Lee, the Cubs first baseman who leads the National League in all three triple-crown categories.

Lee's smash made it 9-5 and buried the Dodgers yet again. It was the 63rd home run allowed by Dodgers pitching this season. More than one-third of those have been given up by Jeff Weaver and Scott Erickson, who have allowed 22 apiece.

This time, though, neither of them could be blamed, because neither of them was pitching.

``When you play in a pitcher-friendly park like we do and you give up that many home runs, there is only one reason for it,'' Lowe said. ``It's probably poor pitching, leaving the ball out over the plate. I can't speak for the other 11 guys, but I tried to throw Neifi Perez a 2-0 changeup, which was the right pitch to call there. But instead of going down and away like it was supposed to, it was over the inner half. Home run.''

The fat one to Perez was far from Lowe's only problem. He never came close to finding a groove, got tattooed for a career high-tying 13 hits and was lifted with two outs in the sixth, just after giving up his sixth earned run.

But Perez's hit had set the tone for the entire evening, leaving the Dodgers to battle back from a huge deficit, and after they almost did so, Lee's blast knocked them right back to where they started, both for the game and for the season.

The Dodgers (26-26) fell to .500 for the first time since they were 1-1 on April 6.

``(The home runs) are all about pitch location,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. ``Where the ball has to get to when you involve yourself in certain counts is very, very important. The number of home runs we have given up has been somewhat staggering. You're going to give up solo home runs here and there, and those aren't going to beat you. But when you give up a ton of the three-run variety, they're hard to overcome.''

Only Cincinnati and Philadelphia, two clubs with losing records, have given up more homers in the N.L. than have the Dodgers. Tracy and pitching coach Jim Colborn aren't sure what the answer is, but they are sure of one thing.

``It has to stop,'' Tracy said.

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 4 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe has a rough outing against the Cubs Wednesday, giving up six runs.

(2) The Dodgers' Olmedo Saenz watches his two-run homer against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) DODGERS vs. MILWAUKEE

- Tony Jackson

(2) GAME RECAP

(3) HOW THE RUNS SCORED

(4) ALMANAC