DODGERS NOTEBOOK: ADDING A PITCHER `WILL GET DONE'.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

DENVER - The starting pitcher the Dodgers might add at the trading deadline already might be here. In their bullpen.

Interim general manager Dave Wallace said the club could add a middle reliever rather than overpay for a run-of-the-mill veteran starting pitcher. Such a move would allow the Dodgers to put either left-hander Jeff Williams or right-hander Giovanni Carrara in the rotation without upsetting the balance of the bullpen.

``You try to add depth to your pitching staff,'' Wallace said before Saturday's game against Colorado at Coors Field. ``Sure, we have all kinds of options. (By adding to the bullpen), then you could do a lot of things.''

Wallace and special major-league assistant Dan Evans have dispatched scouts to nearly every ballpark in an attempt to locate and decide on a veteran starting pitcher to make a run at with low-level prospects.

Manager Jim Tracy has gone against taking either Williams or Carrara out of the bullpen because of their value in middle-relief roles. Williams provides Tracy with the option of using a left-hander before situational lefty Jesse Orosco. Carrara eats up innings.

Even so, the Dodgers would like to acquire a starter before the deadline. One club executive said ``something will get done.'' Making a deal to move a left-hander into the Dodgers' starting rotation is the top priority.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers continue to scout San Diego left-hander Sterling Hitchcock, who allowed two runs in seven innings Friday in beating Milwaukee. Hitchcock is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in his two starts back from Tommy John surgery. The club also is interested in Oakland right-hander Gil Heredia.

--Astacio's stance: Colorado right-hander Pedro Astacio is the top pitcher available on the trade market, which speaks volumes as to the depth of available arms, but the Dodgers never have been serious contenders in the sweepstakes for him because of the asking price, and a $9 million option for next season. Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd was turned down immediately when he asked for right-handers Luke Prokopec and Matt Herges.

Astacio, a former Dodger, makes what could be his final start for the Rockies today against the Dodgers. But Astacio, who is 6-11 with a 5.14 ERA, said he is not concerned about where he winds up.

``I don't worry about it right now,'' Astacio said. ``There are reports everywhere about where I'm going, what's going to happen. I don't control that.

--Gagne's outing: The battering of the Rockies' pitching staff was enough for Eric Gagne (3-4) to win his second consecutive start despite falling victim to the Coors Field effect. Spotted a five-run lead in the first, the Rockies tied it with five runs in the bottom of the second, but Gagne settled in to pitch six innings. Though he allowed seven runs, he left with a five-run lead.

``It was one bad inning, that's it,'' Gagne said. ``Here, you just have to limit the damage. That one bad inning, you take that one out and it's a good start.''

His recent outings, though, have been enough to make the Dodgers pull him back and tell teams they don't want to deal him, baseball officials said.

--Odds and ends: Center fielder Tom Goodwin's pulled right hamstring also means the Dodgers have no chance of unloading his contract, which guarantees him $3.75 million after this season, before the trading deadline. Players on the disabled list cannot be traded.

ON PACE

Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca, who missed a month due to injury, entered Saturday's game 40 plate appearances shy of qualifying among the National League batting leaders. However, at his current pace, he should reach the 502 needed by season's end. Lo Duca's .344 mark would rank fifth in the NL.

DODGERS vs. COLORADO

Time: 5:05 p.m., at Coors Field

TV/Radio: ESPN; 1150-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish)

Matchup: The Dodgers end their three-game series in the worst pitching park in baseball by sending RH Terry Adams (5-3, 4.68 ERA) to the mound. Adams was brilliant in his last outing, allowing one run in a career-high eight innings in beating Pittsburgh. Adams is 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA in two relief outings against the Rockies this season. Rockies RH Pedro Astacio (6-11, 5.14) makes what could be his last start with Colorado as trade winds continue to engulf him. Astacio has a 1.76 ERA in his six victories, but a 6.96 ERA in his 14 other starts.

- Brian Dohn

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

no caption (Paul Lo Duca)

Box: (1) DODGERS vs. COLORADO (see text)

(2) ON PACE (see text)