GAGNE EXPOS-ED EVEN DODGERS' ACE RELIEVER STUNG IN LOSS MONTREAL 4, DODGERS.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

MONTREAL - Vladimir Guerrero and Andres Galarraga are Expos, but Dodgers closer Eric Gagne is Montreal's favorite baseball son.

When the scurrying began in the Dodgers bullpen in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday and No. 38 began throwing, the applause began. When Gagne was called on to protect a one-run lead with a runner on and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, he received a standing ovation.

But that ovation was dwarfed milliseconds after Gagne's first pitch, which Troy O'Leary hammered over the right-field fence for a two-run homer to give Montreal a stunning 4-3 victory in the series opener in front of 13,263 at Olympic Stadium.

Gagne, who grew up an Expos fan in suburban Montreal, didn't use the surrounding pomp and circumstance as an excuse for his third blown save in 42 chances, but catcher Paul Lo Duca said Gagne was clearly affected by it.

``I went out there and joked with him to calm him down,'' Lo Duca said. ``He was focused, but that's a tough situation. You've got 300 people here to watch you play. You're an icon here in Montreal and they were going nuts. He was trying to do something special. He's human. He's been unbelievable all year.''

The loss dropped the Dodgers out of the wild-card lead, which now is occupied by San Francisco. The Giants lead the water-treading Dodgers by one-half game.

In addition, the third-place Dodgers dropped a season-high eight games behind Arizona, which is running away with the National League West.

``In order for them to win, they had to beat our best guy, and Troy O'Leary hit a home run off arguably the best closer in the game right now,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. ``(Hitters) are gearing up for the fastball, but when it's 97, 98 miles per hour and it's thrown in a good spot, there's still not a whole lot you can do with that. When you mislocate it and you're looking for it, then the ball gets hit like it got hit. It happens.''

The troubling trend for the Dodgers was another ineffective outing by the bullpen. This time a strong 7 2/3 innings from starter Andy Ashby was wasted.

Gagne relieved with the Dodgers leading 3-2, but his first-pitch fastball that was designed to catch the outer portion of the plate remained over the middle. O'Leary smacked it over the right-field fence for his third homer, and first since June 7.

``I just didn't locate the fastball,'' Gagne said. ``If I did, it would have been a ground ball or something. We can't afford to lose games like this. I put it right over the plate and he put good wood on it. It was a mistake.''

For Gagne, it's a rut that began at the beginning of the month and won't end. He has a 6.43 ERA in August and already has yielded five runs, more than any single month.

The rest of the bullpen is suffering through a similar meltdown. Set-up man Paul Shuey joined the club July 30 to bolster the bullpen, but the opposite has taken place. Dodgers relievers are 4-4 with a 5.68 ERA in their past 14 games.

``We've just struggled in the late innings winning games,'' Dodgers right fielder Shawn Green said. ``It just seems like we're having trouble in those close games late. It's everybody, whether it's a defensive play, a pitch or not getting a run in.

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Photo:

(color) Dodgers reliever Eric Gagne watches Montreal's Troy O'Leary cross the plate after hitting a two-run homer in the eighth.

Associated Press

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NL WILD CARD RACE