NOMO SHOWS 'EM HOW IT'S DONE NEW GUYS BURNITZ, HENDERSON QUIET IN DODGERS WIN DODGERS 6, ST. LOUIS 3.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

The solution to the Dodgers' offensive problems, at least for one night, came not from New York or Newark but from a pitcher who often can't successfully lay down a bunt.

Jeromy Burnitz and Rickey Henderson made their Dodgers debuts to rousing ovations Thursday night, but Hideo Nomo nearly gave himself enough support with the biggest offensive game of his career as the Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 in front of 40,331 at Dodger Stadium.

On a night of fresh beginnings - the Dodgers opened the second half of the season with new additions Burnitz and Henderson in the lineup - the Dodgers turned to old dependable Nomo, who came through with a typically strong outing on the mound and a downright stunning offensive outburst.

``I got lucky,'' Nomo said with a smile.

Nomo entered the game with five hits, zero home runs and zero RBI in 41 at-bats this season. But he went 2 for 2 with a two-run home run in the third inning and an RBI double in the fourth as part of a strong effort from the bottom half of the Dodgers' lineup. Oft-maligned Adrian Beltre also drove in three runs.

``This is an excellent way to start the second half of the season,'' manager Jim Tracy said. ``Our starting pitcher picked up right where he left off, and to get the kind of offense we got out of him, that was a pleasant surprise.''

The Dodgers brought in Burnitz, in a trade with the New York Mets, and Henderson, signed from the independent-league Newark (N.J.) Bears, in an attempt to enliven the top half of the order.

But Henderson went 1 for 4 with a third-inning single and two strikeouts and Burnitz grounded out four times, so the heavy lifting was left for some of the lightest hitters.

``At least I got the nervousness out,'' Henderson said, ``and the team won the ballgame, that's the most important thing.''

While Nomo's offense can be dismissed as a fluke, the Dodgers hope Beltre's fourth-inning solo home run and fifth-inning two-run single are signs of things to come, especially since he went into the All-Star break swinging the bat well.

Thanks to Beltre and Nomo, the Dodgers scored at least five runs for the sixth time in their past seven games, which follows a stretch in which they scored less than five in 10 consecutive games. Not surprisingly, the Dodgers are 36-9 this season when they score at least four runs.

That was plenty for Nomo (10-8), especially since the Dodgers have scored a total of 10 runs in his eight losses this season. Nomo allowed just one run (unearned) and two hits in six innings, walked four and struck out five. Eric Gagne recorded the final out for his 32nd save.

``Phenomenal,'' Tracy said of Nomo. ``I don't have the words to describe this guy any more. Hideo would have gone further, but with the baserunning he did and the humidity, he felt he had gotten out of sync a little.''

The Dodgers didn't have a hit until the third inning, but David Ross led off by pulling a double to left field. One out later, Nomo took an awkward single at Garrett Stephenson's 1-1 pitch and crushed it nearly 400 feet into the bleachers in left-center for a 2-0 Dodgers lead.

St. Louis scored an unearned run in the fourth inning on Beltre's fielding error at third base, but Beltre answered with a one-out home run in the fourth. Cesar Izturis then reached on an infield single and Nomo followed with a run-scoring double to left.

Stephenson (4-10) left after the fourth, having allowed four runs on six hits with zero walks and four strikeouts.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

(color) Rickey Henderson, who made his Dodgers debut Thursday, went 1 for 4 with a third-inning single and two strikeouts.

Jerome Nakagawa/Associated Press