DODGERS NOTEBOOK: DODGERS HOPING CHANGES PAY OFF.

Byline: Matt McHale Daily News Staff Writer

Bad road trip, good homestand. Bad road trip, good homestand.

Not a bad recipe for .500 baseball, not good for the Dodgers, who bring that pattern into their longest trip of the season tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium.

After winning four of five at Dodger Stadium, the club would seem to have some momentum. But that is the first thing they lost after opening their Chicago/Milwaukee trip with an 11-3 victory over the Cubs. The next day they trailed 8-0 after one inning and never recovered.

``Nothing seemed to work,'' said catcher Mike Piazza, who was named National League Player of the Week despite the team's 1-4 showing on the road. ``Bad things seem to linger a little longer when you leave home. But even though it's only been a week, I think we are a much different team.''

The changes:

The Dodgers have back first baseman Eric Karros, who is running gingerly five weeks after knee surgery but who contributed two hits and an RBI in Tuesday's win over Milwaukee. He could return to the cleanup spot by tonight.

No. 5 hitter Raul Mondesi appears more comfortable at the plate, lifting his average to .250 with a five-hit game Monday night. He was batting around .210 after the trip.

Hideo Nomo has pitched two complete games since his one-inning meltdown in Chicago.

Paul Konerko has been replaced by Karros at first and by Matt Luke as the rookie in the lineup. It will help Luke that all four starters in the Pirates series are right-handed.

``Things look better, but we still have to get runners on base and make things happen,'' leadoff hitter Eric Young said. ``Consistency is the name of the game.''

Buc Belters: The Dodgers play four games with the Pirates then move on to Atlanta for three with the Braves and close out the trip with four against the Marlins in Florida.

The Pirates, who stayed close to the top of the NL Central last year despite a payroll of $9 million, have dropped three of four and were swept in a two-game series against San Francisco. The Dodgers also will miss the Pirates' top starter, Francisco Cordova, who lost 2-1 to the Giants on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh (11-15) has two of the National League's hottest hitters, catcher Jason Kendall and center fielder Jermain Allensworth. Kendall, who works out during the offseason with Karros and Mike Piazza, had a hitting streak stopped Tuesday at 10 games. Allensworth also had a streak ended at 14 games by Giants left-hander Shawn Estes.

DODGERS vs. PITTSBURGH

Time: 4:05 p.m., Three Rivers Stadium.

TV/Radio: 1150-AM, KWKW 1330-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: In the opener of a four-game series against the Pirates tonight, Ismael Valdes (2-3, 4.60) faces Jason Schmidt (3-1, 5.28), who lost twice to the Dodgers last season and is 0-4 lifetime. Friday (4:05 p.m.) - Darren Dreifort (0-1, 2.52) makes his first start since April 11 when he faces Esteban Loiza (1-1, 5.33). Saturday (4:05 p.m.) - Ramon Martinez (2-2, 3.15), who was 2-0 against the Pirates last season, faces Jon Lieber (1-3, 5.17). Sunday (10:35 a.m.) - Chan Ho Park (2-0, 4.60) faces rookie right-hander Jose Silva (2-2, 3.94). The Pirates are 0-10 this year when opponents score four or more runs.

--- Matt McHale

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BOX: DODGERS vs. PITTSBURGH (see text)