DODGERS ROCK COLORADO : PIAZZA, FONVILLE PROVIDE OFFENSE AS NOMO WINS FOURTH DODGERS 7, COLORADO 4.

Byline: Tim Brown Daily News Staff Writwr

It doesn't always have to be Chad Fonville stealing runs or Mike Piazza muscling runs. Sometimes it can be neither, which is why the Dodgers lose about as often as they win.

But, occasionally, it can be both.

Take Tuesday night. The Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-4 at Dodger Stadium because Fonville, creator of mini offense, generated a couple runs, and because Piazza mixed in his signature overstated offense.

Fonville scored a run and drove in another with a two-out single, and Piazza drove in three runs, two with his fifth home run, all in support of Dodgers starter Hideo Nomo, who pitched eight crisp innings for his fourth win in six decisions. He is 4-0 in four starts at Dodger Stadium.

In what was a one-run game in the top of the sixth inning, the Dodgers scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth, all with two out. Fonville singled to center field to score one, then Piazza slammed his two-run homer to right field. Two pitches later, Eric Karros, fresh from eight days on the trainer's table, hit a long home run to left field.

The Dodgers hadn't scored as many as four runs in an inning in two weeks, and hadn't hit back-to-back home runs since April 3. Whether it can be explained by the Rockies' pitching staff, whose 6.31 ERA is matched in baseball only by the Detroit Tigers' 7.09, or by a breakout that began with Monday's 10 runs against the Chicago Cubs, is unclear. Regardless, the Dodgers pulled back to .500 (14-14) and to within 3-1/2 games of the San Diego Padres, who led the Dodgers by exactly 4-1/2 games for the past eight days. The Dodgers are 6-2 since April 23, when Piazza's eighth-inning, three-run home run beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2.

Karros brought his bat back into the lineup for the first time in eight games, though shortstop Greg Gagne and his tender hamstring needed a fourth game off. Only a couple hours before game time Karros was unsure of his status, though early batting practice seemed to suggest his ailing left side was close to healed.

He was back in the cleanup spot, behind Piazza and before Raul Mondesi. In the fifth inning he singled to center field, then scored the Dodgers' third run on a two-out triple to left-center field by Delino DeShields.

The Dodgers scored two runs in the third inning, by which time they had seen some of Rockies starter Kevin Ritz's usual game. Those two runs were the product of three innings that saw: six walks, two wild pitches, an error by shortstop Walt Weiss and a single by Piazza off the glove of first baseman Andres Galarraga.

In five previous starts, or 25 innings, Ritz (2-3) had 20 walks and two wild pitches. His ERA was 8.28, though just 2.61 away from the baseball-in-a-vacuum they play in Denver. He gave up five runs, all but one earned, and six walks in 5-2/3 innings against the Dodgers.

The Dodgers' usual game also contributed failures by Karros, Brett Butler, Karros again, Mondesi and Todd Hollandsworth with runners in scoring position. Therefore, given the opportunities, they led just 2-1. Piazza's single drove in Fonville with none out in the third and DeShields' sacrifice fly scored Piazza.

They worked much harder for their two than the Rockies did for their first-inning run. That was generated by lead-off hitter and former Dodger Eric Young, who hit Nomo's first pitch - a fastball - for his first home run and second RBI of the season.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Hideo Nomo won his fourth game of the season, all at Dodger Stadium, when he beat the Colorado Rockies 7-4 Tuesday night.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News