DODGERS RALLY TO PULL EVEN WITH METS CAMERON'S REPLACEMENT HITS 2 HRS.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

Victor Diaz wasn't supposed to be at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. But Mike Cameron wasn't supposed to be in San Diego, either, lying on an operating table as a plastic surgeon tried to rebuild his face.

The New York Mets recalled Diaz from Triple-A Norfolk (Va.) to take the roster spot of Cameron, who got the worst of his midair collision with teammate Carlos Beltran on Thursday in San Diego and suffered several facial fractures. The rookie replacement then made the Dodgers, and right-hander Jeff Weaver, feel their own kind of pain.

Diaz homered twice, including a two-run blast to tie the score in the second inning and a solo no-doubter in the sixth, and the Mets and Dodgers were tied 6-6 in the eighth inning.

Diaz's first homer was arguably the more deflating of the two. It came on the heels of a stirring, three-run first inning that put the Dodgers ahead 3-1 and immediately after a leadoff single by Jose Offerman. The score remained tied until the top of the fifth, when a dropped ball by shortstop Cesar Izturis and a questionable call by third-base umpire Brian Gorman conspired to hurt the Dodgers.

With one out, Jose Reyes singled up the middle, and everyone in the ballpark knew the speedster would try to steal second. So on an 0-1 count, the Dodgers pitched out, and they guessed right. Catcher Dioner Navarro threw the ball to second in time to get him, and Izturis applied the tag. Problem was, the ball never made it into Izturis' glove, and Reyes was safe. Miguel Cairo then singled him to third, bringing up David Wright.

Wright, who doubled in the first inning, yanked another Weaver pitch over third base. As it scooted down the line, caromed off the facade of the new seats, rebounded into shallow left field and sat untouched long enough for Cairo to make it home from third, Weaver threw up his hands in disbelief, convinced Wright's ball had passed the bag in foul territory.

Televised replays were inconclusive, no one came out of the Dodgers dugout to argue, and the Mets had their 5-3 lead.

An inning later, Diaz launched one deep into the left-field bleachers. It was the second two-homer game of his season and his career - the other was April 19 at Philadelphia.

The Dodgers tied it in the bottom the seventh. The inning started with Victor Zambrano issuing back-to-back walks to Jose Valentin and Navarro. Hee Seop Choi followed with a single to load the bases, and reliever Aaron Heilman hit Izturis to bring home one run. Oscar Robles tied it with a two-run single to left.

The Dodgers put runners on first and second with one out in the fifth. But Milton Bradley, now hitting .233 for the season with runners in scoring position, grounded into a double play.

Weaver left the game after six innings, having allowed six earned runs on eight hits.

The Mets came to town with neither Beltran nor Cameron. As Friday night's first pitch was being thrown, Cameron was 40 minutes into a surgical procedure to repair the multiple fractures in his face. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list before the game.

Beltran was the luckier of the two, although he also was out of the lineup. He spent one night in the hospital with a ``minimally displaced'' facial fracture that probably won't require surgery but came to Los Angeles on Friday and was believed to be resting at the team's Century City hotel. Beltran is listed as day-to-day and is hoping to avoid the disabled list.

``We'll have to wait and see,'' Mets manager Willie Randolph said before the game. ``We have to give it time. If he has any recurring headaches, we'll have to make a decision.''

Weaver retired the first two batters easily in the first inning, the second on a nice, backhanded stop at third by Robles on a ground smash by Miguel Cairo. With two outs, David Wright and Cliff Floyd hit back-to-back doubles to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Weaver stranded Floyd at second by retiring Mike Piazza on a fly to center.

The lead didn't last. With one out in the bottom of the first, Robles singled to right off Zambrano, and Bradley followed with a single to center. Jeff Kent then worked Zambrano for a walk to load the bases, and Ricky Ledee tied the score with a sacrifice fly.

Jason Phillips followed with a looping liner that a backpedaling Floyd looked like he might catch in left. But the ball got just over Floyd's glove and rolled to the wall. After Bradley scored easily, Kent came around third and slid in a fraction of a second before the throw, prompting Phillips to pump both fists as he watched from second base.

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

Jeff Kent, left, ends up on his back after beating a throw home to Mets catcher Mike Piazza on Jason Phillips' first-inning double.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) DODGERS vs. NEW YORK METS

- Tony Jackson

(2) ALMANAC