Dodgers Give Braves Reason to Worry, 4-1 : Baseball: Atlanta’s lead in West is cut to 6 1/2 games over Reds. Karros sets rookie RBI record.

The Dodgers parted ways with the Atlanta Braves for the last time this season Tuesday, but not before dealing the Braves a reminder.

This is a different season for both teams.

Showing the Braves to be vulnerable to three things that could hurt them in the National League championship series--if they make it that far--the Dodgers dealt them a 4-1 defeat that cost them 1 1/2 games in the standings.

On a day when the Cincinnati Reds swept a doubleheader from the Houston Astros, the Dodgers helped the Reds move within 6 1/2 games of the Braves with 12 games remaining.

It is as close as the Reds have been since Aug. 31. The Reds have won six consecutive games; the Braves have won six of their last 11.

While a Reds’ comeback would still take somewhat of a miracle, after last season the Braves understand how those can happen.

This season, however, they are staggering to the finish instead of sprinting there.

“I hope (the Reds) don’t make it easy, it will hopefully make us focus on the big picture,” said losing pitcher John Smoltz. “We don’t want to coast in because we want to be sharp for the playoffs.”

Before 21,122 at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers came back from a 1-0 deficit Tuesday to defeat them with a two-run, record-setting home run by Eric Karros in the fourth inning and two unearned runs in the fifth.

And they didn’t merely defeat them, they twisted them in several directions thanks to the pitching of Tom Candiotti, who gave up one run and five hits in his team-leading sixth complete game.

“Tonight was nice, these nights have been few and far between,” Candiotti said.

With the hot Pittsburgh Pirates awaiting them as the probable champions of the National League East, the Braves have several reasons to begin worrying.

--They should worry about their starting pitching.

Smoltz, one of last year’s postseason heroes, lost for the sixth time in seven decisions Tuesday.

He gave up seven hits and four runs, two earned, while throwing 130 pitches in only six innings. He also had only three strikeouts, not many for a man who will probably capture the league’s strikeout title.

His biggest failure came on a full-count pitch to Karros with Lenny Harris on third base in the fourth inning after Harris walked and took two bases on a wild pitch.

Did the wild pitch distract Smoltz? Something certainly happened when he grooved a ball that Karros powered over the left-field fence for his 20th homer and 81st and 82nd runs batted in.

The hit gave Karros the Dodger rookie RBI record, and his home run total is the most by a Dodger rookie since Greg Brock hit 20 in 1983.

Smoltz isn’t the only Brave pitcher who has been less than impressive lately. Tom Glavine is 1-4 in his last five starts and Steve Avery is 1-2 in his last seven starts.

“Smoltz starts slow sometimes, then gets it going,” Harris said. “Maybe tonight that’s what they thought was going to happen.

“But they were different--they didn’t bring in a bunch of relievers like Leyland (Jim, Pirates’ manager) would have done as soon as a guy’s struggling. I’m not sure what was going on.”

--They should worry about their defense.

Last season, this was their most solid asset. Lately, and most noticeably Tuesday, it has become unpredictable.

With Dave Hansen on first base after a leadoff single in the fifth inning, Candiotti hit a potential double-play grounder. But second baseman Mark Lemke put the return throw into the dirt.

Moments later, Candiotti moved to third when a grounder by Jose Offerman bounced past first baseman Sid Bream for a two-base error. Two batters later, the Dodgers led 4-1 when Harris doubled to left.

The Braves have still committed only 95 errors, accounting for the fourth-best fielding percentage in the league. But the Pirates rank second in the league in fielding, and Jose Lind ranks first among spectacular second baseman.

“I know one thing--they’re really going to miss Greg Olson,” Harris said of the Braves’ regular catcher, who is out for the season with a broken ankle.

Harris stole third base easily Tuesday against replacement Damon Berryhill.

--They should worry about the knuckleball of Pirate pitcher Tim Wakefield, who will get two starts in the championship series.

Candiotti, whose knuckleball has been copied by Wakefield, is 2-1 against the Braves this season with two complete-game victories. Wakefield is 1-0 against them with another complete game.