LOWE BLOW FOR DEM BUMS NEW HURLER'S SHUTOUT LEADS `BROOKLYN' DODGERS 4, SAN DIEGO 0.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

Derek Lowe just can't seem to escape these uniform issues.

Lowe recently received a pair of cleats with the number 32, which he wore in Boston, stitched on the side. A nice touch, except that 32 is retired by the Dodgers in honor of a fellow named Sandy Koufax.

``Probably shouldn't wear these,'' said Lowe, who instead had Koufax autograph one of the shoes.

On top of that, Lowe made his first start at Dodger Stadium on Friday night wearing a jersey that didn't read ``Dodgers.'' But this time, unlike the Red Sox ring-ceremony fiasco, Lowe didn't spark any controversy - the Dodgers were wearing Brooklyn jerseys as part of a Jackie Robinson Day tribute.

Given the way Lowe performed Friday, he could have worn a pink dress on the field, and nobody would have minded. Lowe pitched a three-hit shutout and drove in two runs as the Dodgers beat San Diego 4-0 in front of 51,816.

Jeff Kent and Milton Bradley hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning and Bradley scored three runs as the Dodgers (7-2) matched their best nine-game start since 1983, when they won eight of their first 10 games. The Dodgers' only two losses this season came in games started by Lowe.

Lowe (1-1), a tough-luck loser on Opening Day, when he allowed two earned runs in seven innings, was thought to be a good fit with pitcher- friendly Dodger Stadium when he signed a four-year, $36 million contract in January following his postseason heroics with the Red Sox.

On Friday, Lowe got his first real look at his new home park, and he appeared quite comfortable, pitching his second career shutout and third career complete game.

Lowe didn't allow a runner to reach third. He walked one and struck out five.

There had been concern entering Friday about Lowe, not about his apparel, but his arm, because he had to leave his previous start after being hit by a line drive on his right triceps.

Any worries vanished early, as Lowe retired the first eight San Diego hitters before Woody Williams lined a single into left field. Lowe, perhaps startled, then walked Sean Burroughs, he retired the next five Padres.

The ball was a magnet for Lowe again in the fifth inning, when Xavier Nady's comebacker appeared to hit Lowe on the right foot. Lowe scrambled after the ball and nearly made the play at first base, but Hee-Seop Choi juggled the ball, and Nady reached on an infield single.

Lowe didn't give up another hit until the eighth, when Burroughs blooped a single into short left.

Padres starter Woody Williams, signed during the winter to provide a veteran presence for a young rotation, had his second subpar outing in three starts. He allowed four runs in 6 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers missed an opportunity to take an early lead in the first. Cesar Izturis led off with a single, but the next three batters hit fielder's-choice grounders.

Lowe didn't wait for help in the second. Bradley came back from a 0-2 count to draw a walk, then moved to second on Jose Valentin's sharp single. Ricky Ledee struck out, and Jason Phillips flied out to center, but then Lowe sent a soft liner toward Phil Nevin at first base.

Nevin, not the most nimble of fielders, made a leaping stab at the ball, but it glanced off the top of his glove for a single - and Lowe's second career RBI - and Bradley scored from second.

With two outs in the third, Kent swung at a 3-0 pitch from Williams and hit a towering home run just a couple feet inside the left-field foul pole. Bradley followed with a home run to straightaway center.

The Dodgers loaded the bases with out one in the sixth on a Bradley single, a Valentin walk and a Jason Phillips bloop single. Lowe followed with a groundball deep to the left side, and the Padres' only play was to force Valentin at third, which allowed Bradley to score easily.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 5 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe, who threw his second career shutout, helps his cause with an RBI single.

(2) Jeff Kent, right, accepts congratulations from third-base coach Glenn Hoffman after hitting a third-inning homer in the Dodgers' 4-0 victory.

David Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO

- Rich Hammond

(2) GAME RECAP

(3) HOW THE RUNS SCORED

(4) ALMANAC 

(5) STORY LINES