Strawberry Picks on Astros Again : Dodgers: His first homer of year at Dodger Stadium helps Belcher, 8-2.

After two months in a Dodger uniform, Darryl Strawberry is finally beginning to feel at home.

Strawberry hit his first Dodger Stadium home run of the season and drove in four runs Tuesday night to lead the Dodgers to a 8-2 victory over the Houston Astros.

Afterward, Strawberry said he was still adjusting to the cultural differences between New York and Los Angeles and thanked L.A. fans for their patience.

Strawberry’s big game before 22,617 helped Tim Belcher win his second consecutive decision and improve to 5-4.

With Strawberry and Jeff Hamilton hitting three-run homers and five Astro pitchers providing eight walks, the Dodgers boosted their record to eight games above .500 for the first time this season and maintained a 2 1/2-game lead over Atlanta in the Western Division.

The victory also set the stage for tonight’s pitching appearance by Orel Hershiser, who will be making his first major league start since shoulder surgery 13 months ago.

A good performance by Hershiser would be a boost to a team that received several Tuesday.

Belcher, coming out of a May tailspin in which he lost three games in a row and recorded a no-decision before winning his first game of the month last week, struck out a season-high nine batters in seven innings. He gave up nine hits but was helped by several fine fielding plays by Lenny Harris at second and another by Strawberry on a foul ball.

Strawberry, who also singled in a run in the fourth to knock out Xavier Hernandez (0-5), had four runs batted in and continued to show signs of shaking his seasonlong slump.

His homer gave Belcher a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Hamilton hit his first home run of the season in the fourth to cap another four-run rally and give the Dodgers an 8-1 lead.

Strawberry’s homer, a tape-measure shot that hit a stairway on the side of the right-field pavilion and caromed over the bullpen, was his sixth of the season and fourth against the Astros in nine days.

“There’s always one team every year you have a tendency to pick on,” Strawberry said with a grin. “I really never think about homers. I focus on hitting the ball hard. Personally, things are starting to come together. I started hitting the ball well on the last road trip, then I got a couple nagging injuries that slowed me down. Once I get over the injuries, I think everything else will take care of itself. The key is not to worry.

“In New York, I was accustomed to the motivating crowd being so intense. This is a different part of the world. These fans are very supportive, they have a lot of patience. I appreciate that.”

Belcher appreciated the support of his lineup. He gave up runs in the first and fifth innings and left after seven.

“The fellows did some hitting and picking. I was along for the ride and happy to be there,” he said. “I’m not going to stand here and say I threw a great game, but you get four runs in the first inning, it makes it easier. I still feel like I’m struggling. I’ve got to get to where I have some easy innings. I haven’t done it all month.”