LITTLE-USED ALOMAR PLAYS HERO HIS NINTH-INNING, PINCH-HIT SINGLE PUTS DODGERS ALL ALONE IN FIRST PLACE DODGERS 6, COLORADO 5.

Byline: TONY JACKSON  Staff Writer

DENVER -- Sandy Alomar had never faced Colorado's Brian Fuentes, an All-Star last season and one of the league's toughest closers.

For that matter, Alomar hadn't faced anyone in more than a week, a burden he willingly bears as the once-per- lunar-cycle backup to Dodgers rookie catching phenom Russell Martin.

Fuentes, who moments earlier had blown just his second save of the season by giving up consecutive ninth-inning doubles to Olmedo Saenz and Martin, quickly got ahead of Alomar with two sinkerballs on the outside corner.

``When he threw that same pitch a third time, I just tried to go the other way,'' Alomar said. ``I just tried to hit the ball where it was pitched.''

In other words, up the right-field line, just past the outstretched glove of Rockies first baseman and would-be hero Todd Helton.

The decisive single, coming in Alomar's first plate appearance since June 2, scored Martin from second base and gave the Dodgers a 6-5 victory in front of 29,221 fans at Coors Field. It also gave them, for the first time this season, sole possession of first place in the National League West.

``This is what I was brought here to do,'' Alomar said of his sporadic playing time. ``They didn't tell me I would be the starting catcher. They told me I was the backup. We're very fortunate to have an excellent catcher in Russ. As long as we keep winning, I'm fine with it.''

Alomar, a six-time All-Star and former Rookie of the Year and Gold Glove winner, has started just nine games behind the plate this season. That the Dodgers have lost eight of them has more to do with the pitchers than it does with him. He will celebrate his 40th birthday Sunday, an age at which he can accept his diminished role with grace, just as he did last year while backing up Rod Barajas in Texas.

How's this for grace? With his first pinch hit of the season, Alomar raised his overall average to .367 (18 for 49) and .625 (10 for 16) with four doubles with runners in scoring position. Before the game, the eighth in a row started by Martin, Dodgers manager Grady Little was asked if he was concerned about Alomar's extended inactivity. Little brushed aside the question, and Alomar's ninth-inning heroics seemed to prove his point.

After the game, Little grinned broadly when the subject was raised again.

``This guy is a professional,'' he said. ``He's always ready whenever he is called upon.''

A lack of playing time doesn't mean a lack of activity. Especially for someone Alomar's age.

``I come in early and hit every day in the cage, with (coaches) Eddie (Murray) and Manny (Mota),'' he said. ``They're available every day. I work out every other day. You just have to stay ready to go in case something happens to Russ.''

The Dodgers (35-28), who moved a game ahead of backsliding Arizona atop the NL West, took a 4-3 lead into the seventh inning, with three of those runs coming on a pair of homers by rookie Matt Kemp.

Jonathan Broxton, who took over for a spent Derek Lowe after 5 2/3 innings, got into trouble in the seventh. That's when he gave up a two-out double to Cory Sullivan and, with two strikes, a two-run homer to Todd Helton.

The Dodgers went quietly in the eighth. Danys Baez (4-3) retired the Rockies on three consecutive ground balls in the bottom of the inning.

Fuentes (1-1) retired Joel Guzman on a lazy fly to left to begin the ninth and then let the game get away.

Saenz began the winning rally by one-hopping a ball off the left-field wall. It caromed directly into the glove of Matt Holliday, who turned and fired a strike to second base. The slow-footed Saenz slid in just ahead of the tag. He is now 9for 28 (.321) as a pinch-hitter.

``I had to put myself in scoring position,'' a sheepish Saenz said. ``If I had just gotten to firstbase, it would have been tough for us to win the game, because we didn't have (apinch-runner) on the bench with J.D. (Drew) kind of hurt. It was a pretty close play, too. ``My wheels are bad, I'll be honest.''

Martin then tied the score with a liner that fell just inside the left-field foul line.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1) Olmedo Saenz barely beats the tag of Colorado's Jamey Carroll at second base to set up the tying run in the ninth inning.

(2) Sandy Alomar Jr., pinch-hitting, drives in the winning run for the Dodgers with a single off Colorado closer Brian Fuentes.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press