L.A. WINNING STREAK IS PUT ON THE ROCKS COLORADO'S LATE RALLY ENDS DODGERS' RUN AT 11 GAMES COLORADO 3, DODGERS 1.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

If there was a common theme to the Dodgers' longest winning streak in more than a decade -- the one that came crashing down in Wednesday night's 3-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies before 46,643 at Dodger Stadium -- it was executing quality at-bats, a strategy that was employed throughout the lineup and might have been the primary reason the club was able to transform itself from punchless to peerless virtually overnight.

Coincidentally -- or not -- probable future Hall of Famer and noted first-pitch hacker Jeff Kent spent most of that 11-game steamroll on the disabled list.

But with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning, a point when the Dodgers appeared on the verge of breaking a 1-1 tie and putting another victory to bed, Kent wasn't on the disabled list. He was stepping into the batter's box and staring out at Rockies rookie reliever Manuel Corpas.

And, naturally, swinging at the first pitch. And popping it up to the second baseman.

Arguably the most important hitter in the Dodgers lineup, a man allegedly so vital to the Dodgers' chance of success this season that general manager Ned Colletti felt compelled in spring training to sign him to an expensive contract ex tension through then end of next season and possible the next one, had failed to come through in the clutch.

With that, Kent's average for the season with runners in scoring position and less than two outs fell to a pedestrian .270.

Rockies manager Clint Hurdle brought in left-hander Jeremy Affeldt to face Andre Ethier, whose triple three innings earlier had keyed a game-tying rally for the Dodgers. But this time, Ethier grounded weakly to second, ending the threat.

Predictably, it was the Rockies who then stole the game in the ninth, scoring a pair of runs on a two-out, RBI single by Brad Hawpe and a steal of home by Matt Holliday on a busted rundown play. Brian Fuentes took care of the Dodgers in the bottom half, and the winning streak was history.

As was the Dodgers' shot at leapfrogging into first place in the National League West.

The late-inning flameout ruined an otherwise-stellar performance by Dodgers right-hander Derek Lowe, who rode his own brilliance and a series of spectacular defensive plays behind him to a 1-1 tie after eight innings.

But after retiring Jason Smith to begin the ninth, an obviously fading Lowe gave up a double to Todd Helton that landed just fair inside the leftfield line. After a baserunning blunder by Helton resulted in his being thrown out at third on a grounder by Garrett Atkins, Lowe gave up a single to Holliday and left the game after 108 pitches, six strikeouts and no walks.

Takashi Saito, the closer who has been so rock-solid in save situations, wasn't solid at all with the game tied. He gave up Hawpe's single, sticking Lowe with the loss.

Moments later, when Holliday broke for the plate on what might have been a busted squeeze, catcher Russell Martin had him dead to rights between third and home.

Martin threw to third baseman Wilson Betemit, who inexplicably chased Holliday almost all the way home before handcuffing Martin with a horrible lob from no more than five feet away.

Holliday slid home easily, clinching the win for the Rockies.

There was more bad news for the Dodgers. They lost right fielder J.D. Drew after the top of the fourth with a mild strain of his left quadriceps. He is day to day.

Lowe gave up a solo homer to Hawpe on his first pitch of the fifth inning and, until the fateful ninth, little else of consequence. Rockies starter Jeff Francis gave up a one-out triple to Ethier in the bottom of that same inning, event ually leading to the tying run, and nothing else significant until the eighth inning, when a leadoff double by Rafael Furcal hinted at a possible winning rally for the Dodgers.

Julio Lugo then bunted Furcal to third, and the Rockies walked Nomar Garciaparra intentionally. Corpas then replaced Francis and immediately hit Olmedo Saenz to load the bases.

But no one will ever know what would have happened if Kent would have worked the count.

The Dodgers (56-54) remained a half-game behind division-leading San Diego and fell into a second-place tie with Arizona.

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CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Colorado's Matt Holliday slides home safely during the ninth inning, as the Rockies ended the Dodgers' winning streak at 11 games.

(2) Derek Lowe reacts after giving up a base hit in the top of the ninth inning against Colorado. Lowe went 8 2/3 innings in the Dodgers' loss.

(3) The Dodgers' Julio Lugo is tagged out by Colorado catcher Yorvit Torrealba during his attempt to steal home in the fourth inning.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(4) BILLINGSLEY

Box:

DODGERS vs. COLORADO

- Tony Jackson