Sweep Shows Braves Are a Cut Above Faltering Dodgers : Baseball: Atlanta unbeaten in seven games after rallying for 6-3 victory in series finale.

It’s way too early to panic, but not too soon to ponder about the Dodgers, who take to the road knowing they are no longer in the same division, or class, as the Atlanta Braves.

The good news is there are 156 games left to turn things around.

One day after wasting a solid starting effort from Kevin Gross, the Dodgers left Orel Hershiser out to dry in the Sunday sun as the Braves scored four seventh-inning runs against relievers to beat the Dodgers, 6-3, before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 49,294.

It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Dodgers and the seventh victory without a loss for the streaking Braves. Mark Wohlers, who entered in the sixth to retire Mike Piazza in the game’s telling moment, picked up the victory in relief of starter Tom Glavine. Greg McMichael pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his second save. Jim Gott (1-1) suffered the loss.

Hershiser has given up three earned runs in 12 innings of work in two starts, but has yet to be involved in a decision. He departed Sunday for a pinch-hitter in the sixth, his team clinging to a 3-2 lead but threatening to bust the game open.

Timing is everything in baseball, and the Dodgers right now need their carburetor adjusted.

With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth, they went belly up. Brett Butler popped to second. Wohlers was then summoned to stare down Piazza, who blasted his first home run of the season in the third, a solo shot to right that measured 460 feet.

This time, Piazza flied softly to right.

“Wohlers coming in with the bases loaded, and getting one of the toughest hitters in baseball out, that was the turning point right there,” Brave Manager Bobby Cox said.

Later, when Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said, “We had chances to put them away, but let them get away,” he was speaking of the fateful sixth.

You could almost sense the air being sucked from the Dodgers at that moment, and the game’s mood swinging toward the Braves.

With Hershiser gone after giving up two runs through six innings, Atlanta jumped on the relief corps. Gott soon departed with runners on second and third and one out after giving up consecutive singles to Bill Pecota and Deion Sanders and a sacrifice bunt to Jeff Blauser.

Left-hander Gary Wayne entered and gave up a run-scoring single to pinch-hitter Dave Gallagher that tied the score at 3-3. Fred McGriff then scored Sanders with a sacrifice fly to center.

For good measure, Tony Tarasco then capped a great homecoming day by wrapping a two-run homer around the foul pole in right. It was the first career home run for the 23-year-old outfielder from Santa Monica High.

Tarasco had already doubled twice after replacing David Justice, who left in the fourth after fouling a ball off his right foot.

Tarasco’s home run was about 130 feet shorter than Piazza’s mammoth blast, but style points don’t count in baseball.

“It doesn’t say ‘mammoth’ in the book, does it?” Tarasco said of the difference between the homers.

Tarasco and Ryan Klesko, from Westminster High in Orange County, have been asked to fill the considerable cleats of Ron Gant, who roamed left field before an off-season dirt-bike accident ended his career with the Braves.

“For losing Ron Gant, they’re not missing a beat,” Hershiser said.

Cox has only the dilemma of getting Tarasco more playing time.

“A guy gets hurt (Justice), and we have a guy who gets two doubles and a home run that sort of iced it for us,” Cox said, almost apologetically. “We’ve got some depth. They’re young, but they’re good.”

As for Klesko, he touched Hershiser for an opposite-field, two-run home run to left in the first inning to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead.

Hershiser recovered and appeared to be cruising before Lasorda pinch-ran for him in the sixth. Hershiser reached on a fielder’s choice after failing to advance the runners with a sacrifice.

“We were a little cautious with him,” Lasorda said.

Hershiser didn’t argue the decision after throwing 94 pitches through six innings.

“It was time to come out,” Hershiser said.

Hershiser also said he is confident that Dodger relief will not always betray him.

“It’ll come around,” he said. “We’ve got guys with solid arms. It’ll be all right.”