KENT BRINGS THE POWER 5 RBI, HOMER LIFT DODGERS IN 11 DODGERS 12, ARIZONA 10.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

PHOENIX - His possible Hall of Fame career notwithstanding, Jeff Kent raised many an eyebrow when the Dodgers signed him last winter, committing two years and $17 million to an aging second baseman who lacked Alex Cora's range defensively. General manager Paul DePodesta, however, justified the move by insisting Kent would bring power to a lineup that for as long as anyone can remember has been woefully short of it.

But even DePodesta didn't envision anything like this.

Kent, all 37 years, one month and three days of him, has more or less carried the Dodgers offense through this first week of his first season with the club. And on Saturday night, in the 11th inning of a game that never should have gotten that far, he drove a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double up the gap and to the wall in right-center, the key blow in the Dodgers' 12-10 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in front of 30,753 at Bank One Ballpark.

Kent also hit a two-run homer, his first for the Dodgers, in the first inning.

He drove in five runs for the evening and now is batting .550 (11 for 20) through the Dodgers' first five games. That includes three doubles, eight RBI and an on-base percentage of .640 (16 for 25).

Not bad for a cranky old man.

``I don't feel like I'm looking to do anything other than just play baseball,'' said an expressionless Kent, who gently pushed tape recorders and microphones out of his personal space as he spoke.

``I have been playing a long time. You have good days and you have bad days, and you just play. It's a long season, so you don't worry about it. You try not to get caught up in what's going on. You play six months, and at the end, you hope you're good enough. Some days they're going to get you, and some days you're going to get them.''

The Dodgers (4-1) won their fourth consecutive game after losing on opening day, following the same five-game pattern with which they opened the 2004 season. They also maintained a one-game lead over San Francisco and San Diego atop the National League West.

The fact Kent's heroics came in his sixth plate appearance of the night was due to the fact that on this night, the Dodgers' depleted bullpen suffered an untimely, late-inning meltdown. More specifically, it was suffered by de facto closer Yhency Brazoban, who after recording his first career save on Friday night blew a one-run, ninth-inning lead in this one.

The lead disappeared on a one-out triple by Tony Clark and a bouncing ball by Chad Tracy that eluded a lunging Brazoban for a split second, allowing pinch-runner Luis Terrero to walk home from third.

Brazoban, who actually hit for himself with the game tied in the top of the 10th, then redeemed himself by pitching out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the 10th, striking out Troy Glaus and former teammate Shawn Green in succession.

After the 11th-inning heroics by Kent and Milton Bradley, who drove in Kent with an RBI single after making two highlight-reel catches in the eighth inning, the Dodgers ran into more relief problems in the bottom of the 11th.

Giovanni Carrara, who had been unavailable for each of the previous three games because of a mildly strained left hamstring, gave up three consecutive one-out doubles, slicing a 12-8 lead to 12-10, bringing manager Jim Tracy out with the hook.

Rookie Steve Schmoll, who had been saved from a devastating loss on Friday by the Dodgers' four-run rally in the ninth, didn't buckle this time, even after giving up an infield single to Craig Counsell, the first batter he faced. With Jose Cruz Jr. at the plate as the potential winning run, Schmoll used his sinkerball to induce a game-ending, double-play grounder, earning his first career save one night after backing into his first career win.

It was Brazoban (1-0) who backed into this one, but he earned it to a degree with his goal-line stand in the 10th.

Afterward, Tracy had only praise for his bullpen, which has a collective ERA of 7.20 with Eric Gagne on the disabled list.

``I won't dwell on that,'' said Tracy, who used six relievers in this game alone. ``There will be another day similar to this one, and the question will be whether we (can) come back.''

On this night, they shouldn't have had to.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 5 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Arizona's Javier Vazquez reacts after Jeff Kent hit a home run in the early going during Saturday night's 12-10 L.A. victory.

(2) Dodgers baserunner Milton Bradley slides under the tag of Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder in Saturday's game.

Tom Hood/Associated Press

(3 -- color) no caption (J.D. Drew)

Box:

(1) DODGERS at ARIZONA

- Tony Jackson

(2) GAME RECAP

(3) HOW THE RUNS SCORED

(4) ALMANAC 

(5) J.D. DROUGHT