DODGERS SILENCED BY METS' NO-NAME; BOHANON BEATS ROOKIE REYES : N.Y. METS 2, DODGERS 1.

Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer

Throughout their July surge, the Dodgers have been piling up runs at a robust rate - 14 against Colorado, 11 and 9 against San Francisco, 8 against the Angels and New York Mets.

They picked an unfortunate time to lapse into one of their April-May funks.

Against some New York Mets pitchers of dubious credentials, the Dodgers managed just four hits and one lonely run Wednesday night, and came up on the wrong end of a 2-1 defeat before 39,610 fans.

The Dodgers, who had spent four consecutive days lurking three games behind San Francisco in the National League West, fell another game back - to four out - with the loss.

It occurred on a night when the Dodgers became the fifth team in the major leagues to top the 2 million attendance mark. But there was precious little to see.

Journeyman minor-leaguer Brian Bohanon allowed only one run through five innings - that on a solo home run by catcher Tom Prince, who was again filling in for injured Mike Piazza - and the Dodgers had even less success against Cory Lidle, Greg McMichael and John Franco (26th save).

The Dodgers mounted a threat in the ninth inning but went down meekly. Against Franco, Raul Mondesi led off the inning by reaching base on Edgardo Alfonzo's error at third, then moved up on catcher Todd Hundley's passed ball.

Runner at second, no outs. . . but nothing more, as Eric Karros struck out, Todd Zeile lined to left and Wilton Guerrero grounded to third.

Dodgers rookie pitcher Dennis Reyes, making his third start in place of the injured Ismael Valdes, gave up both Mets runs in his five innings of work.

Within five days, Reyes can expect to be back with the Albuquerque Dukes, since the anticipated return of Valdes from the disabled list will make him expendable at this level.

The Dodgers were impressed with the 20-year-old left-hander's contributions, however, especially in light of some daunting working conditions.

Reyes made his major-league debut in the finale of a critical series with San Francisco, before a sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium; he won. Then came a confrontation with Denny Neagle last weekend in Atlanta; he kept the Dodgers in the game but was a 4-1 loser.

Against New York, Reyes had a rough time of it, but again he kept things close for his teammates.

For a pitcher who idolized Fernando Valenzuela while growing up in Mexico, it was a very Fernando-like outing. Reyes had runners on base in each of his five innings, and left two on in the first, the bases loaded in the third and one on in the fourth and fifth.

But the Mets touched him for two runs, as second baseman Manny Alexander doubled twice and came around to score each time.

Alexander sent a liner down the left-field line with one out in the second inning, then stole third after getting an enormous jump on Reyes. (The Dodgers' rookie left-hander has seen runners steal four bases in as many attempts against him.) Rey Ordonez got the run home by lifting a sacrifice fly to medium left field, where the Dodgers' weakest-armed fielder, Brett Butler, was residing.

Alexander then doubled to the left-center alley to lead off the fourth inning, and later came home on Lance Johnson's two-out double into the left-field corner.

Through the game's first four innings, it appeared the Mets were intent on responding to the Dodgers' obscure lefty with one of their own.

Bohanon, just up from Triple-A (where he has spent most of his 11-year pro career), shut out the Dodgers on two hits through four.

Then Prince cracked a very Piazza-like home run to left.

Prince, who is fond of saying, ``I'm here for defensive purposes,'' nonetheless seems to be working hard to match at least part of the dimension Piazza brings to the catching duty. Prince had hit two home runs in only one of 10 previous major-league seasons, but this was his second in as many nights.

The Dodgers appeared poised to strike for a run in the fourth, but their cause was undermined by the fundamental blunder of veteran Zeile.

There were runners at first and second with one out when Zeile rolled a squibber up the first-base line. Zeile didn't run. Mets catcher Hundley didn't pursue the ball.

Then, as the ball spun in the dirt, home-plate umpire Wally Bell shot his left arm toward the infield, indicating a fair ball.

Hundley bounced out from behind the plate and easily threw out Zeile, who probably would have been safe at first if he hadn't presumed the ball would roll foul. The rally and the inning ended when Guerrero followed with a groundout.