DODGERS ROLL A SEVEN BEAT ROCKIES, COMPLETE UNBEATEN HOMESTAND DODGERS 7, COLORADO 1.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE Staff Writer

Every day before the Dodgers play a baseball game Grady Little fields questions from reporters.

They poke him and prod him about the pressing issue of the day, which normally consists of a slumping or sizzling player; an update on the injury front or the status of his batting order and pitching rotation.

Little, a homespun sort with a smooth Southern drawl, handles these sessions with relative ease - especially over the last week.

The Dodgers are winning ball games, the pitching is strong and the offense is flowing.

They closed a perfect home stand Wednesday with their seventh win in a row, a 7-1 victory over Colorado in front of 39,299 at Dodger Stadium to stay one-half game behind Arizona in the NL West.

Aaron Sele delivered another strong pitching effort, giving up just three hits over seven innings and leaving with a 7-0 lead.

The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the third on back-to-back RBI singles from J.D. Drew and Jeff Kent, then added another run in the fifth on another RBI single by Kent.

In other words, these are good days to be dealing with a hungry press corp.

Little knows the questions are going to get a lot tougher in the near future.

Only these won't be coming from the media.

Sooner or later, Little and the Dodgers will have to make some hard decisions about the roster.

On one hand, it's been invigorated by a handful of young players promoted from the minor leagues to offset a rash of injuries.

On the other, it will soon be overcrowded when the injured players are healthy enough to join the line up again.

``We'll definitely have some tough, hard decisions to make,'' Little said.

Little smiles broadly when he thinks about it.

``It's not a good problem to have it's a great problem to have,'' Little said.

One question: What happens to left fielder Andre Ethier when Jason Repko and Ricky Ledee return from the disabled list?

At this point, Repko is closer to returning from his sprained ankle than Ledee and his pulled left groin.

When Repko does get back, the Dodgers outfield will swell to five players - all of whom are producing.

Ethier has played well since being promoted from Triple-A, showing definite pop with his bat and defensive skills, making it hard for the Dodgers to send him back down.

``I wouldn't assume anything (on Ethier),'' Little said.

The Dodgers will likely send a back-up infielder down and carry five outfielders when Repko gets back. But when Ledee returns, it's doubtful they'll carry six outfielders.

``You hope the players answer the question (though performance)'' Little said. ``If not, we'll make the decision we feel is best.''

Which brings us to Manny Aybar, who has been sensational at third base since replacing the injured Bill Mueller.

Aybar took a .375 average into Wednesday's game against the Rockies with 11 RBIs.

He's also looked comfortable in the field.

Whether that's earned him a stay with the big club when Mueller returns from knee surgery or when Cesar Izturis comes back from Tommy John surgery remains to be seen.

Then there's catcher Russell Martin, whose claimed the catching job since being called up from Triple-A when Dioner Navarro went down with a bone bruise in his left arm.

Martin seems a certainty to keep the starting job when Navarro comes back, which leaves the Dodgers with two options: Keep three catchers (Martin/Navarro/Sandy Alomar Jr.) or part with Navarro or Alomar Jr.

Little, sitting inside the Dodgers dugout on a sunny day in Los Angeles, didn't feel rushed to make any decisions. He knows the day is coming, though.

``We'll deal with that when the time comes,'' Little said.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Dodgers' Jeff Kent hits an RBI single in the fifth inning Wednesday against Colorado. Kent drove in two runs in the Dodgers' victory.

(2) The Dodgers' Rafael Furcal leaps to complete a double play after forcing out Luis Gonzalez at second base.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer