Dodgers Need an Even Dozen to Beat Rockies : Baseball: Piazza leads way as L.A. outscores Colorado, 12-10, and finishes with 35 runs in three-game sweep. Nomo gives up seven earned runs in second start.

The Dodgers didn’t know whether to cry or rejoice Sunday afternoon when they left Coors Field, after a weekend experience that left them wondering whether they should be bragging or hiding their faces.

Completing a most bizarre series, the Dodgers outslugged the Colorado Rockies, 12-10, and survived the battering administered to Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo in his second major league start.

“It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen,” Dodger second baseman Delino DeShields said. “There’s nothing much you can do but throw the ball up there and pray.

“I hate to leave this place as a hitter, but to be honest, I don’t know if I could handle this day in and day out, having to score 10 to 12 runs a game.”

The Dodgers gave up a whopping 25 runs, 39 hits and six homers in the three-game series, but still won every game. No wonder Dave Wallace, the Dodgers’ pitching coach, went to church Sunday morning and asked for solace.

“I just prayed to God we’d be able to leave this place,” Wallace said. “This place just depletes your entire staff.”

But while the pitching staff was pummeled, its members sat stunned on the bench, watching a hitting exhibition that seldom is matched in batting practice.

The Dodgers scored 35 runs in the series, batted .393, and hit eight doubles, five triples and five home runs. They scored in 14 of their 27 innings, and had at least two runs in 11 of those innings.

Considering the teams combined to score 60 runs and batted .359, it was little wonder the average game time was 3 hours 33 minutes. Put on the helmets and shoulder pads, and the sellout crowd of 48,117 could have sworn it was watching the NFL’s Broncos.

But even those who were on hand had no rational explanation for the show put on by Dodger catcher Mike Piazza.

He limped noticeably all weekend because of a sore right hamstring, caught all 27 innings and on Sunday fell into the dugout trying to catch a pop-up and blocked four pitches in the dirt by Nomo.

Piazza also happened to hit two home runs Sunday, including a grand slam, and drive in a career-high six runs. For the weekend, he batted .688 with seven runs, three homers, 11 RBIs, and 22 total bases for a 1.375 slugging percentage.

“It was a pretty good series for me,” Piazza said, managing to keep a straight face. “My leg felt all right. It’s like waiting for a land mine. You don’t want to test it too much, but you know you’re going to have to use it.”

This weekend was so bizarre Baylor twice intentionally walked Raul Mondesi to get to Piazza.

“This ballpark does some strange things to people,” said Dodger pitcher Tom Candiotti, who will have only two days’ rest before starting again Tuesday, because Tuesday’s starter, Ismael Valdes, pitched the final two innings Sunday for his first career save.

“I saw more weird things happen here than I’ve seen in my life. Pitchers can’t wait to get out of here.”

“Personally, I like hitting here,” said first baseman Eric Karros, who batted .466 this series with five runs and three RBIs. “But I’m not sure I like playing here. Nomo got a dose of what it’s like pitching here.”

Nomo, who pitched five scoreless innings in his debut against the Giants last Tuesday, learned quickly how difficult Coors Field can be for pitchers. He yielded nine hits and seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, and gave up three home runs.

“It doesn’t matter where I pitch,” said Nomo, who gave up Rocky starter Billy Swift’s first career home run, a three-run shot in the second inning. “I don’t want to make any excuses. I just couldn’t make my pitches like I wanted to.”

He left the game with a 7-6 deficit in the fifth inning, but the Dodgers took the lead again in the sixth on left fielder Chris Gwynn’s two-run triple. Dodger reliever Jose Parra, making his major league debut, shut down the Rockies until they scored three unearned runs in the seventh inning. The Dodgers came back in the eighth on another home run by Piazza, and a run-scoring single by Henry Rodriguez.

Perhaps it was appropriate that Omar Daal, who faced one batter and threw away a ball on a pick-off attempt, got the victory; Parra was optioned to triple-A Albuquerque and will be replaced by infielder Eddie Pye; Valdes reverted to wearing contact lenses and shut out the Rockies the final two innings.