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Byline: MATT McHALE Baseball

Wondering whether the Dodgers really are that timid team on the road or that potent gang at home? The answer probably is both.

It might concern you since the San Diego Padres already are so far out front in the National League West. The Dodgers are 4-9 on the road and rarely looked like a division favorite during their first two trips.

``That is pretty normal in baseball,'' Milwaukee manager Phil Garner said. ``If you can play .500 on the road and .700 at home, you have a pretty good chance of being around at the end.''

So far, Garner is right. Before finally losing to Pittsburgh on Friday, the Padres were 7-0 at home. The surprising Boston Red Sox won nine of 10 on their first homestand.

The Texas Rangers remain atop the American League West despite two straight losses, both on the road. In the first three weeks of the season, the Rangers played 14 games at home, winning 10.

The Dodgers, who beat up the Chicago Cubs on Friday night after dropping two of three last week at Wrigley Field, hope that is true for them as well. But they are going to have to take advantage of three critical stretches of their schedule to win the division.

From May 28 through June 15, the Dodgers play 12 of 15 games at home.

After the All-Star break, they play seven straight and 14 of 18 at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers also play the final six games of the season at home. Carrying it out further, 30 of their last 47 games are at Dodger Stadium.

``Consistency is so critical, and that seems to be our biggest problem on the road,'' Dodgers manager Bill Russell said. ``We have yet to build on good victories. Just when you think we're getting a little momentum, it disappears.''

Six times during its homestand, Boston scored the winning run on its final at-bat. It was the most victories the Red Sox had posted on any homestand since 1993.

``I'd never seen Fenway like that before,'' said veteran John Valentin. ``It's April and their fans are excited. We're down 2-0 in the ninth and they're still in their seats. They seem to have the feeling we might be coming back.''

It began with the home opener when the Red Sox rallied to win from a 7-2 deficit.

``We kept battling and battling and battling,'' said Mo Vaughn. ``It's early, but all these wins and the way we played this whole homestand is definitely something to work off of. We know we're going to be in a lot of games.''

There were common threads to the hot start at home: timely hitting and solid pitching, particularly from the starters.

Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield, Bret Saberhagen, Brian Rose and Butch Henry made two starts apiece. They combined to pitch 63-1/3 innings and limit the opposition to 43 hits.

``We've just gotten tremendous starting pitching,'' said catcher Scott Hatteberg. ``The highlight film isn't long enough. These games have been because of them. The whole staff has done a great job of keeping us in ballgames.''

Eight players hit above .300 on the homestand, including Jim Leyritz (.455, four homers), Darren Bragg (.435, one homer), Vaughn (.385, four homers) and Troy O'Leary (.378, five homers).

Entering the weekend, the Rangers were leading the league in hitting, pitching and defense - a trifecta that had them ahead of Seattle, which has played just .500 at home.

``It's been very exciting for us so far,'' Juan Gonzalez said. ``Right now everything has been fantastic. But you can't forget it's a long season. There are a lot of games remaining.''

The Rangers have gotten better pitching so far, although they have allowed 23 runs in losses Thursday and Friday. But their biggest improvement is on-base percentage. Through 18 games, they were at .403. Last year it was .334.

``That's the name of the game, on-base percentage,'' hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo said. ``We're showing discipline at the plate. We're waiting for good pitches to hit. And if we don't get them, we're taking what's given to us.''

A LONG WAY BACK

Todd Hundley's recovery from reconstructive surgery on his right elbow is progressing slowly. So much so, that in a moment of frustration last week, the New York Mets catcher said: ``I really can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I mean, everyone says I'm going to be back by the All-Star break. But who knows? There's no guarantee I'll ever come back.''

Hundley, who set the single-season record for catchers with 41 home runs in 1996, has seen progress with the reconstructed ligaments. But the soft-tissue around the elbow, in the forearm and lower biceps have become a problem.

``The doctors told me this operation had a 90-percent success rate, but who knows, man,'' said Hundley. ``I might be one of the other 10 percent. Maybe I should be thinking about doing something else with my life.''

Such operations usually take seven-to-12 months for a full recovery, and Hundley is in his seventh month. But Hundley points out that, if he needs the full 12 months and doesn't come off the DL until September, ``then we're probably looking at next year,'' he said.

``I mean, look at what (Reds' right-hander Jose) Rijo did. He had four surgeries just like mine. And every time he came back too soon, throwing as hard as he could. Now it looks like he's done. You have to do this right the first time, or you could end your career for good.''

PLAY ME OR TRADE ME

Deposed closer Jose Mesa and outfielder Geronimo Berroa have told the Cleveland Indians, through their agents, that they want to be traded.

The Indians have no intention of trading either - at least right now. Both are eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

Mesa has been replaced by Mike Jackson as the closer, and Jackson has saved seven games in nine chances. But manager Mike Hargrove's long-term plan is to put Mesa back in the job because he handles lefties and righties better than Jackson, who gets pounded by lefties.

Berroa is upset because he was promised he'd be the everyday designated hitter or left fielder. But with David Justice (23 RBI) limited to DH because of injuries, Hargrove has platooned Brian Giles with Berroa in left field.

The Indians say they can't trade Berroa just yet, because they need the protection in the outfield and his bat against left-handers.

WHY THEY ARE BAD

Of the Twins' first 13 losses, they have blown leads in nine of the games. Closer Rick Aguilera had blown three of his past four save opportunities before converting Wednesday to help the Twins break their six-game losing streak in a 4-2 win over Oakland. Aguilera has been successful in three of six save situations.

The Twins' 1-6 record in one-run games is the worst in baseball. Some of their blown leads were fairly large, like 4-0 over Kansas City in the home opener April 3 (a 9-5 loss) and 7-1 over Tampa Bay on April 13 (a 13-12 loss).

Left-hander Greg Swindell, who parlayed last year's surprising season into a $1.3 million contract for 1998, has been awful. Frankie Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A on the basis of his 13.50 ERA and .444 opponents' batting average. The Twins still are evaluating Hector Carrasco (7.20 ERA) after Todd Ritchie couldn't do the job.

Carrasco was considered by the Dodgers after he was released by expansion Arizona. Put that on a resume.

``I don't know why,'' said Aguilera, when asked about the slow starts. ``Believe me, I've tried to do things differently. I'm not using that as an excuse. It's just happened. But it's one of the beauties of being a reliever. You don't have to wait five days for your next chance.

EXTRA INNINGS By Matt McHale

TOP OF THE ORDER

Shawn Estes, the young ace of the Giants staff who was 19-5 last year before signing a three-year contract, has slipped to 0-4 with a 6.59 ERA this season. In his first 23-1/3 innings, he allowed 28 hits and 14 walks, almost placing two runners on base every inning. Pitching coach Ron Perranoski pointed to Estes' control as the main problem. ``He's getting behind on all his pitches,'' Perranoski said. ``I don't think he's pressing. He's just having difficulty creating a groove for himself.''

ROTISSERIE WATCH

Houston first baseman Jeff Bagwell hit .286 last year with 43 home runs and 135 RBI but much of his offense came in the early part of the season. He hit .314 before the All-Star break with 24 homers and 78 RBI, .250 with 19 home runs and 57 RBI after the break. From July 1 through the end of the season Bagwell hit only .246. Against Atlanta in the playoffs he was 1 for 14. Bagwell struggled this spring - he didn't reach the .200 mark until the final day of the exhibition season - and has struggled since the season began. He is hitting only .232 but is among the lead leaguers with 18 walks.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Seattle's bullpen has improved since the April 13 firing of pitching coach Nardi Contreras, but not for everyone. LHP Tony Fossas, for instance, began the game Wednesday having allowed left-handed hitters to bat .556 (5 for 9) against him. And RHP Heathcliff Slocumb had allowed right-handers to bat .467 (7 for 15). In his first nine appearances Slocumb had pitched 6-2/3 innings and allowed 26 baserunners (14 hits, 12 walks).

THE BUZZ

Yankee Stadium is back in business, but New York Mayor Rudy Guliani says he wants a $1 billion stadium in Manhattan. Guliani, who has balked at the project in the past, endorses it now because there would be an additional $1 billion in city revenues. However, the accounting firm of KPMG Peat Marwick said a 45,000-seat stadium built over rail yards would generate only $102.5 million in spending at the ballpark, nearby bars and restaurants. And that's based on the assumption the Yankees would draw 3.9 million fans a season. By contrast, a refurbished stadium in the Bronx would generate $98.4 million in revenues.

QUOTABLE 

``There were times when he was ready to quit. There were times when he got ticked off at me a little bit, thinking I might have been pushing him too hard. We'd have our words. We still have words on occasion. But what you see is the result of his effort. He hung in there.''

- Red Sox physical therapist Rich Zawacki on Bret Saberhagen, who won his first three starts this year after coming back from reconstructive shoulder surgery.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Photo: (1) HUNDLEY

(2) Jeff Bagwell

Box: EXTRA INNINGS By Matt McHale (See Text)