DREIFORT'S WOES CONTINUE; DODGERS BELOW .500 AFTER LOSS TO PHILLIES : PHILADELPHIA 5 DODGERS 2.

Byline: Marc J. Spears Daily News Staff Writer

After four unsuccessful tries, Darren Dreifort was finally able to muster the strength to keep from hitting ``the wall.'

Unfortunately for the Dodgers' reliever-turned-starter, he couldn't keep the Philadelphia Phillies from hitting his pitches.

Despite lasting a career-best 6-1/3 innings, Dreifort was tagged for a career-worst 12 hits and five runs and dropped to 0-4 on the season as the Dodgers lost to the Phillies 5-2 before 25,992 Monday night at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers, who had beaten Philadelphia 10 straight times, are 18-19 (9-4 at home), while the Phillies (18-17) won their fifth straight.

L.A., 4-7 in May, also is six games behind the San Diego Padres in the NL West race.

``That is how they usually score a lot of runs, with a lot of hits,'' Dreifort said. ``Twelve is a lot. It was about eight hits too many.'

Entering the game, Dreifort lasted just as long in one appearance as a reliever (5-1/3 innings) against Chicago on April 18 as he did in any of his previous four starts. On this night, he did reach the seventh inning for the first time as a starter and Dodgers manager Bill Russell said he had a good curveball.

Dreifort, however, could not see the silver lining.

``When I look at it, I see that I gave up five runs on 12 hits,' said Dreifort, who needs to improve his change-up. ``I don't see that as progress.'

It could have been better and worse for Dreifort, who said all the hits came off fastballs. Two Phillies were caught stealing, Mike Lieberthal was thrown out at the plate in the second inning on a throw by the Dodger center fielder Roger Cedeno and L.A. had two double plays. But the Dodgers also had two infield errors and Cedeno missed a shoestring catch that resulted in a Rico Brogna double and eventual score.

``(Philadelphia) hit the ball hard,'' Russell said. ``That was the difference.'

The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead after Trenidad Hubbard scored in the third inning on a fielder's choice from Eric Young off Phillies starter Matt Beech.

But in the fourth, the Phillies jumped ahead 2-1 on RBI singles from Brogna and Kevin Jordan.

In the bottom of the inning, Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza walked to the plate as the leadoff hitter and without a home run in his previous 55 at-bats. That drought ended when he tagged Beech's first pitch into the right-field seats to tie the game 2-2. It was his ninth homer.

The Dodgers' offense then went scoreless over the last five innings. Also, they ended up with just five hits on the night.

``We're not hitting the ball like we are capable of doing and it has been going on for a long time,'' Russell said. ``We got a home run by Mike tonight, but we are not getting as many of those as we should be getting.'

Bob Abreu had an RBI single in the sixth and Scott Rolen added a two-run single in the seventh to put the Phillies up 5-2.

Like Dreifort, Beech (1-2) entered the game without a victory. But on this night, he earned win No. 1 after lasting 6-2/3 innings, striking out five and allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks.

After struggling against the Phillies' fifth starter, it won't get much easier for the Dodgers. They face Curt Schilling, the major-league leader in strikeouts (90), tonight.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza, right, was able to tag the Phillies' Mike Lieberthal out on this play, but it was Philadelphia's night.

(2) Phillies' starter Matt Beech won his first game of the season. He allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five in 6-2/3 innings.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press