WILL THEY GO WILD?; CRUCIAL STRETCH COULD DECIDE DODGERS' PLAYOFF CHANCES.

Byline: Matt McHale Daily News Staff Writer

It will be hot and sticky tonight on the floor of Veterans Stadium, but the Dodgers better get used to it.

With two months remaining in the 1998 season, the Dodgers are a part of the heated National League wild-card race at 5-1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs.

And with four days to baseball's trading deadline, it also could mean a deal for a starting pitcher to replace Ismael Valdes. The right-hander will miss two starts with a strained left side.

From the less-than-overwhelming crowds during the past two home stands, it appears fans have not bought into the concept of the wild card, which rewards the team with the fourth-best record to qualify for the postseason.

But it means so much to the Dodgers that new general manager Tom Lasorda was boasting at the Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown that his club will be playing in October.

``I guarantee we're going to make the playoffs,'' Lasorda said. ``I told our players that, and I believe it. I told them we would catch the Giants, and we have. Now we're going to catch the Cubs.''

Lasorda's future as general manager probably depends on that, which is why he will be busy working the phones this week.

No one expects the Dodgers to overtake the division-leading San Diego Padres, who lead them by 15 games.

But Fox, the new ownership, has not been as quick as Lasorda to guarantee that anyone in the front office will be back next season.

And the Dodgers haven't exactly caught the Giants, who fell out of the top spot after a 1-8 road trip to start the second half. The Giants trail Chicago by 3-1/2 games and are a half-game ahead of the New York Mets.

The Dodgers are entering a critical stretch. The first seven games on this road trip are against the Phillies and Mets, two teams ahead of the Dodgers for the wild card.

Races, even wild-card races, rarely are won in head-to-head matchups, making the nine games that follow so important.

The Dodgers close the trip with three games in Montreal, where they traditionally do not play well. Then they come home for six games against lowly Pittsburgh and Florida.

``We really haven't taken off yet,'' center fielder Raul Mondesi said. ``Looks like now is the time.''

Although the Dodgers have won nine of their past 14, they still have not won four in a row this season. They dropped two of seven on the just-completed home stand, but both were difficult losses.

The team will be tested further now that it has lost Valdes, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday.

``I still think with their pitching the Dodgers cannot be counted out of any race,'' said St. Louis manager Tony La Russa, whose team split with the Dodgers two weeks ago. ``It's great for a team to be able to throw that many good arms at an opponent.''

The wild card, which began in 1995 when the leagues were expanded to three divisions, has a far different look for the Dodgers this season.

The first year, they won the West by a game over the Colorado Rockies, who qualified as the wild card.

In 1996, the Dodgers lost the division title on the final weekend of the season when they were swept by the Padres.

Many in the front office thought the Dodgers lost that year because there was little incentive to win. They still qualified for the wild card, although they had to play the eventual National League champion Atlanta Braves in the first round and were swept in three games.

Last year, the Dodgers finished out of the playoffs. The Florida Marlins, the wild-card team, won 93 games during the regular season, beat first-place Atlanta in the playoffs and went on to win the World Series.

``As we showed, we were a great team,'' said the Dodgers' Bobby Bonilla, who played with the Marlins last season. ``We beat the Braves all year. This year you don't see real races except maybe with Houston and the Cubs.''

Some managers accept their wild-card fate. Others refuse to acknowledge that second place is all that is left.

``You have to be realistic,'' Giants manager Dusty Baker said. ``If we get to within five games of the Padres, that's great. Then we'll think about that. But get real. The race is for the wild card.''

Mets manager Bobby Valentine disagrees. He saw how quickly everything can change last weekend. His club moved within 1-1/2 games of the Cubs before losing two in Chicago.

``I ran track in high school and learned a valuable lesson,'' he said. ``When you reach a turn, concentrate on that one and not the next one. Why should I limit myself to saying we're only in this for the wild card? We're in this to win the World Series.''

Dodgers manager Glenn Hoffman, 18-13 since taking over for Bill Russell on June 22, knows the wild card is his only chance.

``We've been going a day at a time since I've been here, and we've started to move a little,'' Hoffman said. ``That's what matters. We're in a good spot right now, but we have to play well.''

CAPTION(S):

8 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--Color) Dodgers went 1-3 against Rico Brogna (left) and the Phillies in four-game set May 11-14 at Dodger Stadium.

(2--Color) Mike Piazza (pictured) will face former mates for first time since May 15 trade.

(3--Color) Ex-Dodger Hideo Nomo (pictured) draws start against Ex-Met Brian Bohanon.

(4--Color) The heroics of last week's N.L. Player of the Week, Vladimir Guerrero (pictured), didn't prevent a recent 1-9 skid; Expos are 14th in N.L. in team batting (.250)

(5--Color) Last meeting was 6-4 Pirates victory on June 28 in a game marred by a brawl between Gary Sheffield and Jason Kendall (pictured).

(6--7--Color) It's reunion time! Todd Zeile (left), Gary Sheffield (right), Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson and Jim Eisenreich will all play against their former team for the first time since blockbuster trade May 15.

(8--Color) Dodgers' Raul Mondesi

BOX: MAKING A MOVE?

The next 16 games will determine whether the Dodgers can make postseason plans. The current wild-card standings: