Dodgers Are Rocked Again : Baseball: Colorado has 17 hits in 9-3 victory, its sixth in a row at Dodger Stadium.

The Colorado Rockies, young and erratic, came to Los Angeles limping and ready to dive back into the depths of the division. Two nights later. . . .

Are you ready for the pennant-contending Colorado Rockies?

The Dodgers, at least on the grim evidence of the last two nights, most certainly are not.

Saturday night, the second-place Rockies took their second consecutive leisure tour through the Dodger pitching staff, chopping out 17 hits on their way to another laugher, 9-3, before 50,482 at Dodger Stadium.

So what if it’s only June and they’re five games under .500? Last year at about this time, in their first year of existence, the Rockies were 22-44 and 22 games out of first place.

On the heels of Friday night’s 13-5 victory, this was Colorado’s sixth consecutive victory at Chavez Ravine, dating back to a four-game sweep last August, and it shrunk the Dodger lead in the National League West to three games.

This time, Colorado broke the game open in a four-run sixth, parlaying three hits and four walks from four Dodger pitchers.

When it was over and Ramon Martinez, Ismael Valdes and Brian Barnes had all wobbled off the mound (and Roger McDowell had finally retired the side), the Rockies led, 9-1.

With the San Francisco Giants still mired in the muck, a strike looming in the not-too-distant future and another game against the Dodgers today, the Rockies suddenly find themselves as real National League West contenders, despite a 31-36 record.

“Any time you’re this close to first place in mid-June, you’ve got a chance,” Colorado starter Marvin Freeman said. “You have to give your best effort. We’ve done it the last two games, and I don’t see any reason we should stop now.”

The Rockies bounced out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning on four singles and an error, then, in the fourth, Freeman played longball for the first time in his major league career.

Freeman popped a long solo shot into the right-field stands in the fourth against Martinez--the second consecutive start in which Martinez has given up a home run to a pitcher. Last Monday, Martinez gave up a solo homer to the Reds’ Pete Schourek.

“Man, when I hit it, I was just so happy I made contact two times in a row,” Freeman said. “When I got around first (base) and I saw (center fielder Brett) Butler still running, I thought, ‘Hey, I may have something here.’ ”

As Colorado Manager Don Baylor looks for a starter to step into a leadership role, he might not have to look any further than Freeman: The Rockies are 10-2 in games Freeman has started this season.

Does Freeman (7-1), who has scuffled through stints with the Phillies and Braves, think he has earned a spot on the All-Star team?

“I’m old, tired and broken-down, I need the three days off,” Freeman said recently. “I’ve got incentives for games pitched, I don’t get anything for the All-Star game.”

Freeman lasted 5 2/3 innings Saturday night, giving up three runs and six hits.

Martinez (6-3), who got the starting call Saturday afternoon when scheduled starter Tom Candiotti was scratched because of a sore toe, had won his last six decisions--including victories in his last three starts.

But the Rockies, who pounded the Dodgers for 16 hits--including eight for extra bases--on Friday night, continued the pace in the second inning Saturday, scoring three runs on four hits and a Dodger error.

Catcher Joe Girardi led the way, producing run-scoring singles in the second, fifth and sixth.

The Dodgers cut the Rockies’ lead to 3-1 in the third when Butler’s two-out single scored Raul Mondesi, who had doubled to lead off the inning.

After the Rockies tacked on single runs in the fourth (Freeman’s home run) and fifth (Girardi’s second run-scoring single), their lead was stretched to 5-1.

Martinez, who had not given up more than five runs in any of his previous 13 starts, lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs and 10 hits while walking four and striking out five.

“They have a very good hitting team,” Martinez said. “They just put the ball in play, make a lot of contact, and that’s about it. But we’ll get them tomorrow.”

After scoring twice in the sixth to narrow the lead to 9-3, the Dodgers threatened again in the eighth, when Dave Hansen came up to pinch-hit with two out and the bases loaded. But reliever Steve Reed got Hansen to ground to first base, and the threat was ended.

* HUDLER LIFTS ANGELS: Rex Hudler’s two-run home run in the sixth helped the Angels to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox. C2