Dodgers’ Answer Is Davis : Baseball: He drives in two runs during the ninth inning for a 4-2 victory over Padres that ends losing streak at 10.

After 13 days and 98 innings, the Dodgers finally discovered the perfect person to end their losing streak Monday.

He was the only one in the stadium who had been waiting longer for a good day than they had.

Eric Davis, who had not driven in a run in more than a month, drove in two with one swing during the ninth inning. His single ended the Dodgers’ 10-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres before 21,965 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

“It seems like it has been forever,” Eric Karros said. “Granted, it’s just one game. But it means a heck of a lot more than one game.”

If the Dodgers thought anything was more perfect than their winning rally, it was how the game ended.

Roger McDowell, the winning pitcher, finished the Padres in the bottom of the ninth by stranding Dan Walters on second base after Kurt Stillwell’s drive bounced off McDowell’s shin and rolled to first. It was McDowell’s first victory since April 25.

The Padres nearly took the lead during the eighth against reliever Jay Howell, but McDowell bailed him out by getting a bases-loaded, two-out grounder from Darrin Jackson.

“If that happened a couple of days ago, that ball hits off of his leg and rolls into the dugout, and they have runners on second and third,” Karros said. “Then the next guy would have hit a home run. Hopefully, this means things are going to change.”

Said McDowell: “The ball hit me in the only place it could have hit me that would have let us get out of the inning.”

Shortly after ending a 28-inning scoreless streak, the fourth longest in Los Angeles Dodger history, the Dodgers avoided breaking the Los Angeles record for longest losing streak with a late rally that was perfect for their situation.

While hearing cheers from a team that had tried everything, Stan Javier started the ninth with his second hit in a month, a double down the right-field line. Brett Butler then laid down a perfect bunt, but pitcher Jose Melendez tried to get Javier at third.

Melendez’s throw was wide, and Javier was safe. Javier was out on the next play, but he was a hero again because he allowed Butler to reach third base and batter Mike Sharperson to reach second on a grounder to shortstop.

Javier was intentionally caught between third base and home on the grounder. He stayed in a rundown long enough to put both Dodgers in scoring position. After Lenny Harris was walked intentionally so the Padres could get an all right-handed matchup, Davis hit a two-strike pitch into center field to score both runs.

Davis had not had an RBI since May 17, his last day before going on the disabled list.

“I was waiting for a situation like that . . . those are the things that I thrive on,” Davis said. “You can’t drive in runs and not want to be up there like that.”

Tony Fernandez started the late Padre threat by using a two-out, swinging bunt to double over the head of third baseman Lenny Harris. Fernandez eventually stole third base, and the bases were soon loaded on an intentional walk to Tony Gwynn and an unintentional walk to Gary Sheffield.

McDowell came in to face Jackson, who hit a 2-and-2 pitch to second baseman Sharperson for the third out.

By then, the Dodgers had already tried everything.

Tom Lasorda, Dodger manager, tried coaching third base for the second consecutive game, and then was ejected for arguing strikes for the first time since last August.

Lasorda also tried returning Jose Offerman to the eighth spot in the batting order against right-hander Andy Benes and reinstating Brett Butler in the leadoff spot.

And for good measure, Orel Hershiser brought out the lineup card.

At first, none of it seemed to work.

The Padres took a 2-0 lead against Bob Ojeda on Tony Gwynn’s sixth homer during the first inning and a run-scoring double during the fourth.

The Dodgers finally scored during the fifth inning after Butler drove in Offerman from second base with a single.

Even then, it wasn’t easy.

After Offerman had singled against Benes and had been bunted to second by Ojeda, Butler lined a ball to shallow center field.

Offerman rounded third, center fielder Jackson picked up the ball on the run--and dropped it. No throw was made, and Offerman trotted home with the first run since the sixth inning Friday in Houston.

It was Butler’s first run batted in, and Offerman’s first run scored, since June 7.

The Dodgers tied the score during the seventh. Offerman started the inning with a surprise bunt single down the third base line, was bunted to second, stole third and scored on Sharperson’s single to left.