DODGERS WEAVE STRING OF RUNS : DODGERS 6, PITTSBURGH 3.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

They aren't overwhelming anybody, certainly not themselves, certainly not against this competition. But the Dodgers put together an impressive rally Sunday afternoon, finally stringing together timely hits as they scored six unanswered runs and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 in front of 37,493 at Dodger Stadium.

``I don't know if you'd call that breaking out,'' said first baseman Eric Karros, whose single in the sixth inning scored the first two Dodgers runs. ``We were only down 3-0. We got some hits here and there. We got some breaks. We capitalized.''

Hey, that's big. In their 3-1 loss Saturday, the Dodgers stranded three runners in scoring position. They had left three in that circumstance through five innings Sunday.

``Sure,'' manager Bill Russell said when asked if he was concerned at the lack of production. ``We've had opportunities, we just couldn't break through.''

Thanks to that inability Sunday, the Dodgers trailed 3-0, dooming starter Ramon Martinez, their ace, to another disappointing early exit. Again, he lasted just five innings, this time giving up seven hits and three earned runs. He allowed two earned runs in an Opening Day loss.

Martinez took a whopping 101 pitches to get through Sunday's five innings. That, after throwing 95 on Tuesday.

``That's not the way he pitches,'' said catcher Mike Piazza, whose second RBI of the season was the game-winner. ``. . . If he's not off to his best start, hopefully we can ride that out.''

With help from their smoking bullpen, which has allowed just two unearned runs in 19 innings, the Dodgers might do just that. Sunday, Darren Dreifort relieved Martinez, pitched three innings of one-hit ball and got his second major-league victory. Todd Worrell pitched his third perfect ninth inning in four days for his third save of the season.

A little luck will not hurt either. Good bounces and balls hit to just the right places helped both teams Sunday.

Three straight singles scored the Pirates' first run in the fifth inning as the Dodgers fell behind for the fourth straight game.

The Pirates' hits weren't mammoth, just to the right places. Al Martin's single that scored Tony Womack for the first run was in the hole on the right side. Wilton Guerrero even knocked the ball down. Jermaine Allensworth scored the second run on Kevin Elster's grounder through the hole on the left that bounced off Greg Gagne's glove. Jason Kendall then hit a bleeder to the gap in right field that Brett Butler dove for and had in his glove momentarily before the ball popped out. Martin scored from second.

The Dodgers, after taking a 1-2-3 inning to think about it, answered with some funky hits of their own in the sixth.

Raul Mondesi led off with a walk and Piazza followed with what he and possibly everyone in the stadium thought was a weak pop-up to left field. But seconds after he slammed his bat to the ground and headed off on an obligatory jog to first base, Piazza looked up and saw Martin, the Pirates' left fielder, rushing in to meet the ball. As Mondesi rounded second on his way to third, Piazza took off as well. He ended up on second as the ball bounced off Martin's glove.

``It freaked me out,'' Piazza said of the error. ``I was a little stunned. . . I guess he thought I hit it a little better.''

Karros followed with a sharp single to right center, scoring Mondesi and Piazza. He scored on Todd Hollandsworth's double to right field that caromed off the glove of a leaping Midre Cummings.

Brett Butler led off the seventh with a double and scored on a Piazza single. Todd Zeile, until Saturday hitless as a Dodger, sealed the victory with a two-run homer in the eighth inning.

To Zeile, the way the victory came down was a big deal.

From 0 for 15 before Saturday to .063 before Sunday's 2-for-4 performance, he is now hitting .157. And he was a contributing member of a come-from-behind victory for the second time in three games.

``It was good the way we bounced back, because we have not supported Ramon at all,'' Zeile said. ``We have not got hot by any means, offensively. But guys are picking each other up. . . . That's what you've got to do.''

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Photo: (color) Third baseman Todd Zeile went 2 for 4 to help the Dodgers beat the Pirates.

David R. Crane / Daily News