Karros Gives Dodgers Room : Baseball: His home run in the sixth inning provides insurance for Candiotti as L.A. climbs within one game of Colorado. Worrell gets the save.

Where would the Dodgers be without first baseman Eric Karros?

Karros hit his third home run in three games as the Dodgers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2, Wednesday night before a paid crowd of 30,045 at Dodger Stadium to move to within a game of the first-place Colorado Rockies in the National League West.

Karros, who hit game-winning home runs in the Dodgers’ last two games, drilled a two-run homer in the sixth inning to give the Dodgers a 4-1 lead as they won for the 15th time in their last 21 games.

Karros, who has 22 homers and 69 runs batted in, has a career high of 23 home runs, set in 1993. He has hit seven home runs in the last 13 games.

Does Karros, who was left off the All-Star team, wish that the vote could be recounted?

“No, I’ll bet you can’t even name all the players on the All-Star team,” Karros said. “I’m swinging the bat well and making my hits count. This time of the year, who cares about going four for four? I’m making my hits count when we need them. That’s all that really counts.

“Going into the game, Colorado had already lost, and we knew we had to take advantage of it. We have to make up some ground while they’re on a downside and a long road trip.”

Dodger starting pitcher Tom Candiotti agreed.

“What’s on Eric’s mind is winning, not showing the voters he should have been on the All-Star team,” Candiotti said. “That will come in due time.”

Rookie second baseman Chad Fonville, who had three hits in Tuesday night’s 4-3 victory over the Cardinals, had two hits in four at-bats and drove in the first two runs as Candiotti (6-10) ended a four-game home losing streak.

Reliever Todd Worrell worked the ninth inning, giving up a run but striking out the side for his 22nd save in 23 opportunities this season.

After striking out shortstop Jose Oquendo to open the ninth, Worrell gave up a double to center fielder Brian Jordan before striking out second baseman Ramon Caraballo. Left fielder Allen Battle singled in Jordan to cut the Dodger lead to two runs, but Worrell got pinch-hitter Gerald Perry on a called third strike to end the game.

Candiotti, who entered the game with a two-game losing streak, hasn’t gotten good support from the Dodgers this season.

The Dodgers, who have been shut out 11 times this season, were blanked in six of Candiotti’s first 20 starts and scored three runs or fewer 13 times.

After stranding three runners in the first two innings, the Dodgers scored two runs in the fifth inning and two runs in the sixth.

Fonville gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead when he drove in Dave Hansen, who singled in his first three at-bats, and Mitch Webster with a two-out single to right in the fifth inning. Fonville, who led off the Dodger first with a double down the right-field line, hit an 0-and-2 pitch from Cardinal starter Mike Morgan (4-5) into right field.

Fonville, who had been fooled on an off-speed pitch from Morgan, sensed that Morgan would come back with another off-speed pitch.

“I just made a little bit of an adjustment and he hung the ball a little more and I just put the ball in the hole for the RBIs,” Fonville said. “We scored runs for Candy tonight. Before we weren’t scoring runs for him, but we did tonight. I’m just happy we got the win.”

Cardinal third baseman Darnell Coles singled in Battle with two out in the sixth inning, cutting the Dodgers’ lead to 2-1, but Karros drilled the two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth off Morgan, who gave up eight hits in six innings. Karros’ homer drove in catcher Mike Piazza, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a one-out single.

Candiotti, who gave up one run and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings, departed with the bases loaded in the seventh inning.

Reliever Antonio Osuna, who gave up one hit and registered two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings, struck out Bernard Gilkey on three pitches to end the inning.

“Antonio’s got a lot of confidence,” Candiotti said. “I’ve said all along confidence is the main thing. He’s a great addition to the team.”