WELLS AWAITS A CALL VETERAN GOES OUT WITH A WIN DODGERS 8, SAN FRANCISCO 3.

Byline: TONY JACKSON 

Staff Writer

It won't go into the books as anything special. It certainly wasn't a masterpiece on the scale of the perfect game he threw nine years ago, and it was about as far as you can get from the big stage on which he has always seemed comfortable.

But if this was the end for David Wells, if the Dodgers' 8-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants in front of 47,696 on Friday night at Dodger Stadium turns out to be the final start of his 21-year career in the majors, it was the perfect way for the legendary left- hander to go out.

Like Wells himself, it wasn't pretty. But like Wells himself, it got the job done.

In his seventh start for the Dodgers -- he didn't miss one, meaning the Dodgers will wind up paying him about $800,000 for five weeks' service -- Wells scattered seven hits over six mostly effective innings and needed a couple of double-play grounders to escape a couple of early jams. He also fired a pickoff throw past first base, leading to an unearned run.

Beyond that, though, Wells, 44, was sufficiently serviceable to give the Dodgers just their second win in their past dozen games. And with that, the Dodgers made sure that this lost season won't be a losing one, claiming their 81st victory of the season to ensure they will finish no worse than .500.

"It could be (the last start)," Wells said. "You never know. Hopefully, I will entertain some offers if there are any this offseason. I talked to (Dodgers general manager) Ned (Colletti) earlier. I gave him my phone number and told him to call me if he is interested."

Wells (9-9) will turn 45 next spring and probably isn't in the Dodgers' plans. Between the time he was released by San Diego in early August and signed by the Dodgers in late August, Wells was sure his career was over.

On an evening when other teams in other cities were clinching other, much bigger things, the Dodgers clinched a small dose of self respect, both for themselves and their division.

The Dodgers were never below .500 after April 6, when they beat the Giants in San Francisco to even their record at 2-2. Four National League West teams will now finish .500 or better, something none of the five other divisions can claim.

Although this season-ending series won't include Barry Bonds, probably won't include Jeff Kent and definitely won't include anything of consequence, there are aspects of it that are still worth paying attention to. And, from the standpoint of the mostly youngish players who will be participating in it, worth showing up for.

"Every opportunity these players get to perform in these games, they are being judged," Dodgers manager Grady Little said before the game. "Those judgements will mean a lot."

Tthe Dodgers (81-79) got several big hits from several young players.

James Loney hit his 15th home run of the season, with nine of them coming this month, and became just the fourth player in the 50 seasons since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles to drive in as many as 32 runs in a single month.

Matt Kemp and Andy LaRoche had RBI doubles in the first inning, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

The absence of Bonds, who apparently has already played his final game in a Giants uniform, and the absence of a pennant race have left this installment of the storied Dodgers-Giants rivalry a bit stale. That will change in six months, when the Giants return to begin the 2008 season at Chavez Ravine on March 31 to April 2.

Notes: At Sunday's Fan Appreciation Day, festivities begin with a pregame ceremony in which Dodgers catcher Russell Martin will be presented with this year's Roy Campanella Award by Campanella's daughter, Joni Roan. The award is voted on by Dodgers players and coaches and Little. ...

A tentative version of the Dodgers' 2008 schedule, celebrating their 50th anniversary, is on their Web site. Strangely, the Dodgers won't make their first trip to San Francisco until July, but the two clubs will close out the regular season Sept. 26-28 at AT&T Park. Other highlighs includes, as previously reported, interleague road series with the Angels and Tigers and interleague home series with the Angels, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. There are two trips to Cincinnati, including a two-gamer in late April.

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DODGERS

TODAY

Dodgers (Billingsley 12-5) vs. San Francisco (Blackley 0-0), 7p.m., Dodger Stadium.

TV: FSN Prime Ticket.

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Photo:

The Dodgers' David Wells gave up two earned runs in six innings Friday against San Francisco. He also drove in a run with a second-inning single.

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images