HENDRICKSON FEELING MORE AT HOME PITCHER DOES WELL; L.A. LEADS IN 8TH.

Byline: RICH HAMMOND Staff Writer

Mark Hendrickson has been a Dodger for six-plus weeks, but Los Angeles hasn't felt much like home.

Going into Friday's game against San Francisco , Hendrickson had made three starts at Dodger Stadium, losing two and giving up 12 earned runs in 18 innings. Hardly inspiring stuff, especially in a park that's supposed to be kind to pitchers.

Hendrickson fared far better Friday. He allowed just two runs through seven innings, but was replaced by Brett Tomko with the score tied in the eighth. The Dodgers took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Julio Lugo.

Jeff Kent broke a 1-1 tie with a leadoff home run in the fourth, but with runners on first and second in the bottom of the seventh and a chance to give the Dodgers the lead, he struck out swinging.

Barry Bonds tied the score in the fifth when he slapped an RBI single through the left side of a shifted Dodger infield.

The Dodgers, who entered the game with a half-game lead on Arizona and San Diego in the National League West, had a chance to pick up a game on both, since the Diamondbacks and Padres lost Friday.

San Francisco has spent this entire month in an unusual place: last place in the NL West, although Hendrickson's troubles at home might have given the Giants some hope for a turnaround.

The Dodgers, it seems, are doing everything in their power to make Hendrickson comfortable. For a fourth consecutive start, Hendrickson formed a battery with catcher Toby Hall, his former teammate in Tampa Bay, although manager Grady Little said the pairing was simply a coincidence in timing.

"It's kind of an evenly spacing deal," Little said before the game. "Russell (Martin) needs a break, so it's working out good. The familiarity of the two (Hendrickson and Hall) is good."

Hendrickson's three previous outings with Hall behind the plate had gotten progressively better, leading up to Sunday's game at Florida, when Hendrickson threw six strong innings for his first Dodger victory.

Friday's game got off to a solid start for Hendrickson and the Dodgers.

After Hendrickson retired the Giants in order in the first, Rafael Furcal led off with a double to the gap in right-center off San Francisco starter Noah Lowry (Pepperdine). Kenny Lofton followed with a sacrifice bunt and Nomar Garciaparra drove in Furcal with a sacrifice fly to center field for a 1-0 lead.

Hendrickson escaped trouble in the second when he struck out Pedro Feliz and Eliezer Alfonzo with runners on the corners to end the inning, but he couldn't get out of a jam in the third inning.

With out one, Randy Winn singled and moved to third on Omar Vizquel's double to right-center. The Dodgers appeared to escape a jam when Moises Alou grounded sharply to third. Julio Lugo threw home in time for Hall to make the tag on Win n for the second out, which brought up Bonds.

Bonds fell behind 0-2 but then drew a walk to load the bases for Ray Durham, who had singled in the second. This time, Durham singled sharply to left to score Vizquel and tie the game, although Hendrickson was able to avoid a bigger inning when he got Shea Hillenbrand to pop up to second to end the threat.

Lowry, who grew up in nearby Ojai, endured a rough July in which he posted a 5.66 ERA in six starts, but got on track Saturday when he allowed one run in a complete-game victory over Colorado.

In two previous meetings this season, the Dodgers had battered Lowry for nine earned runs in 12 innings, although Lowry entered the game with a 2-0 record in three career starts at Dodger Stadium.

After Garciaparra's sacrifice fly, Lowry retired seven of eight Dodgers, but Kent gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead when he hit a 2-0 fastball from Lowry a few feet inside the left-field foul pole.

In eight previous at-bats against Lowry, Kent had only two hits, but both were home runs.

The Giants tied the game in the fifth. Vizquel singled, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored when Bonds singled to left, through a hole created by the Dodgers' infield shift.

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Photo:

Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent vaults over the Giants' Ray Durham after recording a force at second.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Box:

DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO

- Rich Hammond