ROOKIE WILLIAMS SA G'DAY L.A. WITH WIN : DODGERS 9, SAN FRAN. 4.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

If the high-profile Dodgers starters pitched this way in April and May, the rookies never would have gotten the September proving ground on which they stand now.

Then again, everyone knows what type of season Chan Ho Park and Carlos Perez had, which brings us to Australian left-hander Jeff Williams.

He is the third Dodgers rookie to start since the trading deadline, and Tuesday night his pattern was consistent with youngsters Mike Judd and Eric Gagne.

Williams allowed two hits and an unearned run in five innings to win his first major-league start, a 9-4 victory against the San Francisco Giants in front of 31,881 at Dodger Stadium.

``It was pretty good, indeed,'' Williams said. ``Better than I ever hoped for. This is what you dream for, from college baseball to the minor leagues to pitching here. This is what you dream about.''

Williams, 27, struck out one and walked three. The Giants' only run scored when left fielder Gary Sheffield apparently lost Barry Bonds' liner in the lights.

Williams, with two innings of major-league experience, could have melted there. Instead he didn't allow another runner past second. He retired seven straight at one point and 11 of the last 13 batters he faced to beat Giants left-hander Kirk Rueter (14-9).

``He wasn't intimidated when he came up and pitched toward the end of spring training and faced Mo Vaughn in Anaheim,'' Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said. ``He's definitely in the mix of guys that can give us insurance in the starting ranks.''

Williams was aided by four Dodgers homers. Raul Mondesi, Sheffield and Paul LoDuca each went deep, but it was Eric Karros' three-run homer in the first that gave Williams a 3-1 lead.

``Pitching is what this team was built around,'' Karros said. ``It was a focal point and I'm not sure it lived up to everything said about it. Does this mean (Williams) will be in the rotation next season? No, but in spring training, it means he'll get a longer look. Those guys that do well now, it kind of adds to your resume.''

The Dodgers' file on starting pitching throughout the organization certainly isn't filled with many can't-miss prospects. But since heading west from Dodgertown 151 games ago, a few names were added.

It began with Judd, who allowed four earned runs in 6-1/3 innings in his first major-league start, a win at Montreal on Aug. 12.

Gagne's outing was the most dominant, although he wasn't involved in the decision against the Florida Marlins. He did, however, strike out eight and allow two hits in six shutout innings.

Whether Williams gets another start could depend on the health of right-hander Darren Dreifort, whose status won't be determined until Thursday. He's bothered by tightness in his pitching shoulder.

``I told Dreifort,'' Johnson said with a smile, `` `Dreifort who?' ''

Johnson said Williams needs to work on a change-up and curveball but added he was impressed with the rookie's mettle and the location on the fastball.

``He was a little deliberate to the plate,'' Johnson said. ``He's got a chance.''

Williams, signed as a nondrafted free agent out of Southeastern Louisiana in 1996, piqued the Dodgers' interest during spring training. The Dodgers were searching for left-handed help in the bullpen and nobody established themselves. So they took a look at Williams.

Since then, he has been in the Dodgers' plans. After spending his first two years in the organization as a starter, Williams began this season in the bullpen for Triple-A Albuquerque before moving to the rotation in midseason. Williams was 5-3 with a 4.73 ERA in relief with the Dukes.

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PHOTO (color) Giants' starter Kirk Rueter just allowed a three-run homer to Eric Karros.

Michael Caulfield/Associated Press