DODGERS MANAGE TO AVOID A SWEEP ASHBY GOOD ENOUGH IN HIS PITCHING DEBUT DODGERS 7, ARIZONA 5.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

The leadoff spot was 0 for 13, but hey, it was three games into the season.

The offense, downgraded to economy class during the offseason, scored five runs and had 15 hits. But hey, it was three games into the season, so worrying was out of the question.

What really had some of the Dodgers thinking was winning at home, and even though it was three games into the season, not everybody was in the no-big-deal mode about that. Not after the lackluster performances at Dodger Stadium the past two seasons.

The Dodgers' 7-5 win against Arizona in front of 20,542 Thursday was important on a few levels, not the least of which was avoiding a sweep to the division-rival Diamondbacks, but it was not a dire situation.

``It's three games, four games,'' said Goodwin, who broke out of an 0- for-9 slump with a leadoff homer in the first. ``We're trying to win. We're not trying to see who gets on base more. We're trying to win games. You do what you can to try and help win a game, defensively or offensively. It was just good to play like we played in spring training.''

It was meaningful, though, especially so for free-agent acquisition Andy Ashby as the Dodgers got a glimpse of what it might be like to have a competent fourth starter. The right-hander won his Dodgers debut by allowing four runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. Ashby also did his part by contributing to the small-parts aspect of the 2001 Dodgers, sacrificing a pair of at-bats, including a squeeze in the second inning to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.

``I've always loved pitching here,'' said Ashby, who is 7-1 with a 2.12 ERA at Dodger Stadium. ``It feels good to get the first one. It was a great feeling, but you have to tip your hat to these guys (Ashby's teammates). We all did what we had to do to get a win.''

A year ago the Dodgers went 42-39 on the road, one of the best marks in baseball. But their downfall - or one of many - was their 44-37 record at home. In 1999, the Dodgers went 37-44 at Chavez Ravine. Though it is just four games into the season, they didn't want to fall into an early hole.

``The way I look at it, we don't want to feel the same way we felt last year playing at home and start losing games,'' said shortstop Alex Cora, who had an RBI triple in the second inning. ``That's the only thing. That was something we were looking to improve.''

Rookie Dodgers manager Jim Tracy credited his club's inability to mount an offensive in the first two games of the series against Arizona to Diamondbacks aces Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.

Seeing lefty Brian Anderson on the mound offered different results for aggressive approaches at the plate. Goodwin, who sat the last two games, led off the bottom of the first with a homer and Mark Grudzielanek hit the next pitch over the fence in left-center to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

The Dodgers doubled the lead in the second when they got down to playing the small, fundamental-type baseball Tracy spent a spring harping on. Cora tripled to score freshly recalled third baseman Phil Hiatt to make it 3-0. Ashby squeezed and Cora dived over and around Diamondbacks catcher Damian Miller, crashing into and wiping out home-plate umpire Lance Barksdale.

``It was a very good collective effort, not only on Andy Ashby's part but also (relievers) Terry Adams and Jeff Shaw,'' Tracy said. ``Offensively, we did a lot of things we've been working on.''

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Photo:

(color) Andy Ashy made his debut Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer