GAGNE'S FIELDING IS 'BEAUTIFUL'.

Byline: Tim Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Greg Gagne has played a lot of shortstop, but never for them. Never for the Dodgers or their fans.

After two exhibition games, they know all they need to know. That is, he's no Jose Offerman. Then again, in this league, not many are.

"I'll tell you what," Dodgers center fielder Brett Butler said, "I guarantee you there's a whole lot of pitchers smiling right now."

On Sunday afternoon against the Houston Astros, Gagne turned two singles into outs, one from several steps into the hole, another from a few strides to his left. His second-inning, second-base pivot allowed starter Ramon Martinez a successful outing. And he caught everything else, all of the easy ones. He looked like a regular shortstop in every other major-league town.

"A beautiful thing," Butler said. "It's a beautiful thing."

No one argued.

"I feel more stable from his fielding," said Hideo Nomo, who pitched three innings behind Martinez in the Dodgers' 5-2 win. "I watched him. When Ramon was pitching, he made great plays."

Gagne shrugged. Clearly, never was there made so much about his defense two games into spring training.

"I'm just going out there, not really worried about that," he said of comparisons with the last guy. "If I'm going to hear it all day, every day, that will get tiresome. That guy who was here, Jose, he just couldn't do the job, or whatever. I'm just going day-to-day."

Role reversal: Together in the lineup for the first time this spring, Delino DeShields and Butler batted one-two, respectively, an experiment whose longevity depends upon DeShields' ability to reach base often.

"That's what I do," said DeShields, who typically strikes out about twice as often as he walks. "I was supposed to be the leadoff man here, originally. I think I can do the job."

He began each of the past two seasons first in the order, but eventually was moved out of the position.

"If he gets on, this is the best lineup we have," said Butler, whose ability to bunt and work deep into the count makes him an ideal No. 2 hitter. At 38, Butler has not stolen as many as 30 bases in three seasons. DeShields, however, stole 39 in only 127 games last year. "He's not 25 anymore," DeShields said with a smile.

Butler said he approached Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda with the idea early in spring training.

"This would let Bugsy do the things he can do," DeShields said. "He's a little better with the bat. We'll see how it works out. I'm still looking to steal a base here and there."

Minor adjustments: Minor-leaguer Brett Illig, a third baseman who hit .167 at Great Falls last year, left Mike Piazza's locker Sunday afternoon carrying two pairs of Piazza's spikes, a few of Piazza's batting gloves and a handful of Piazza's wrist bands.

Few minor-leaguers will be as well-stocked with equipment. Fewer still attended Phoenixville Area High School in Pennsylvania, from where Piazza and Illig graduated.

Piazza said former Dodgers first baseman Franklin Stubbs did the same for him when Piazza was beginning his climb through the organization.

"You don't forget that, when you're scraping for things," said Piazza, who allowed Illig to hit in his indoor batting cage over the winter. "That stuff's like gold."

Illig, Piazza said, turned down a baseball scholarship to Mississippi State to sign with the Dodgers.

"It's refreshing to see," he said. "You see how young and excited he is, and you feed off that. Especially because I have a personal interest in him."

Notes: The Dodgers renewed the contract of outfielder Roger Cedeno on Saturday. He was the last player on the 40-man roster without a contract for 1996. . . . Hideo Nomo has discovered a way around the language barrier. He's teaching Korean Chan Ho Park and some of his Latin teammates to speak Japanese. "That's probably the way to go," Nomo told Dodgers publicity assistant Grace Morino. "Teaching others Japanese will be easier than learning English." . . . First baseman Eric Karros estimated that it would be at least a week before his strained hamstring is well enough so he can participate in exhibition games. . . . In Sunday's game, Ramon Martinez allowed one run in two innings and Hideo Nomo allowed one in three. Mike Piazza had two hits and Brett Butler drove in two runs in the seventh inning. Left-hander Joey Eischen and right-hander Mike Harkey each pitched two scoreless innings.