Dodgers Need Magic

By ROSS NEWHAN

Sept. 27, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SAN FRANCISCO —

The telecast from Colorado was showing on the center-field screen at 3Com Park even before the San Francisco Giants had finished batting practice early Friday night.

No surprise to Giant Manager Dusty Baker that the Dodgers jumped into a four-run lead in the first inning. He didn’t need to watch. He expected the Dodgers to win.

“It’s hard to take an animal’s last breath,” he said. “They continue to bite even when they’re dying.

“I don’t think the Dodgers are going to lose again. We’re going to have to win it ourselves.”

The Giants took the first of those two required steps by routing the San Diego Padres, 17-4, after the Dodgers went on to beat the Rockies, 10-4, before 40,491.

A three-run homer by Jeff Kent, a two-run homer by Barry Bonds and seven reassuring innings by Shawn Estes, who had been unable to start Wednesday in Colorado because of shoulder inflammation, helped San Francisco stay two games ahead of the Dodgers in the National League West with two to play.

The Giants are now assured of no worse than a tie for the division title, which would necessitate a playoff here Monday.

“Don’t take anything for granted,” Baker said of the message he would give his players. “We haven’t won anything yet. Just keep playing.”

The Giants could have clinched the title Friday night had the Dodgers lost, but the delay may have aided Baker’s recovery from his recent intestinal attack.

He had solid food for the first time in three days Friday but wasn’t sure he could partake of those 10 cases of champagne icing in the clubhouse.

A laugher seemed more palatable, and Baker got it against the Padres, who a year ago this weekend were sweeping the Dodgers to win the West but were a pale imitation Friday night.

Seven San Diego pitchers yielded 18 hits, walked eight, delivered two wild pitches and hit one batter.

The Padres made three errors and collected only three hits off Estes, who improved to 19-5.

Kent slugged a three-run homer off Pete Smith in the first and had a run-producing single in an eight run fifth for a total of 29 homers and 121 RBIs.

Bonds hammered his 40th homer in the sixth for 101 RBIs, giving the Giants three players with 100 RBIs (former Angel J.T. Snow has 102) for the first time since 1947, when the Giants played in the Polo Grounds and Johnny Mize, Walker Cooper and Willard Marshall drove in 100 or more.

The Giants still rank only 11th in the National League in offense, as well as 11th in pitching and ninth in defense, but Kent said:

“So what? We’ve got a team that wins games, period. It doesn’t matter being first in anything except wins.

“People in the off-season don’t go, ‘Congratulations, you guys were first in offense.’ ”

This offensive explosion made it easy for Estes, who had lasted only 1 2/3 3 innings of a 12-2 bombing by the Padres a week earlier and was scratched Wednesday in Colorado.

“Maybe that was a blessing,” Baker said of the aborted start against the Rockies. “He got some time to regroup and recover, and we didn’t risk an injury by sending him out there when he wasn’t 100%.”

Estes, who will pitch Game 2 of the divisional series with the Florida Marlins if the Giants qualify, struck out five, walked three and gave up only one earned run in his seven innings.

Wilson Alvarez will try to put the Padres--and Dodgers--away today.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE FINAL 9

Dodgers vs. Rockies, L, 6-4, SEPT. 19

Dodgers vs. Rockies, L, 2-1, SEPT. 20

Dodgers vs. Rockies, L, 10-5, SEPT. 21

OFF, SEPT. 22 Dodgers vs. Padres, W, 6-2, SEPT. 23

Dodgers vs. Padres, L, 4-1, SEPT. 24

Dodgers at Rockies, W, 9-5, SEPT. 25

Dodgers at Rockies, W, 10-4, SEPT. 26

Dodgers at Rockies, SEPT. 27

Dodgers at Rockies, SEPT. 28