Dodgers Pick Up the Pace : Baseball: DeShields, Ashley pull themselves out of the doldrums with key hits in 3-1 victory.

The frustration has been excruciating at times this season, leaving one Dodger to ponder early retirement and another to question whether he belongs in the major leagues.

Second baseman Delino DeShields and left fielder Billy Ashley have been benched, demoted to the depths of the batting order and ridiculed in their fight for survival.

DeShields, fighting nagging pains in his left leg, wants so badly to prove that the Dodgers made the right decision when they traded for him. Ashley, searching for self-confidence, wants to prove he’s an everyday big-league player.

The duo shed those anxieties for at least a game Monday night, leading the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Expos in front of a paid crowd of 33,231 at Dodger Stadium.

DeShields, entering the night with a .217 batting average, produced only his second multiple-hit game in a month, and drove in one run. Ashley, who was batting .230 and buried in a four-for-35 slump, drove in the other two runs with a one-out single in the second inning.

Their offensive production was all Ramon Martinez (6-3) needed, providing the Dodgers with their fifth victory in the last six games, moving to within three games of the San Francisco Giants.

Martinez, who escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third inning, yielded only four hits and one earned run in seven innings, and Todd Worrell pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save. It proved to be quite the celebration for the inaugural showing of the Dodgers’ everyday lineup.

“It’s nice not having to wait around to see what happens when everybody comes back,” Dodger first baseman Eric Karros said. “Now we’ll be able to see where we stand with everyone else. We can say, ‘This is our team. This is our lineup. And we’re going to sink or swim with it.’ ”

The Dodgers (18-20) never announced they were going to abandon the idea of Ashley in left field or DeShields at second base, but certainly they’ve been equally frustrated. They’ve been aggravated at Ashley’s alarming strikeout total--42 in 103 at-bats--and were puzzled at DeShields’ ongoing struggles.

Yet, instead of chastising the two players, Dodger Executive Vice President Fred Claire huddled frequently with each of them, trying to boost their confidence. The Dodgers needed them as much as they needed the Dodgers, he said.

“They’ve definitely been through tough times,” Claire said, “and that’s when they need our support. We all know what Delino can do. He’s done it before.

“Billy just needs to have good things happen to him. That will give him the confidence again and take the pressure off. He’s just trying too hard right now.”

Everything finally came together in the Dodgers’ three-run second inning. Karros led off with a single to center, followed by a hit-and-run single by Roberto Kelly. Tim Wallach bounced out for the first out, leaving Ashley to hit with runners on second and third.

Ashley swung at the first pitch, and lined a single to right field, scoring Karros and Kelly for a 2-0 lead. Martinez sacrificed Ashley to second base, and DeShields followed with a single to center, scoring Ashley for a 3-0 lead.

Just like that, Ashley and DeShields felt better about themselves, wanting to believe their problems have been left behind.

“It’s been rough,” DeShields said, “because I know what I can do, and I haven’t been doing it. I don’t like to talk about it, but my leg is just starting to feel good again. This is my last year [on the contract], but no matter what happens, I’d love to have a good year for these guys. The Dodgers went out of their way to trade for me, and I want to show them the kind of second baseman I can be.”

It’s different for Ashley. He has never excelled at the major league level. He hit 63 homers and drove in 205 runs the last two years at triple-A Albuquerque, but he has learned it’s quite different facing major league pitching night after night.

“Probably the hardest thing is that I’ve never gone through anything like this before,” Ashley said. “It was ridiculous at how easy it was for me at Albuquerque. I’d just try to get a base hit, and I’d end up hitting it nine miles.

“Maybe I was trying to hit a home run with every swing up here, I don’t know. The type of hit I had tonight might be the kind that will pull me out of my slump. I definitely had a grin on my face for the rest of the game after that.

“I’ve just got to start going for base hits, and let the home runs take care of themselves.”