Dodgers Hit High Beam

Even Coors Field doesn’t present as much of a challenge to the Dodgers these days.

They outlasted the Colorado Rockies, 9-7, in a slugfest here Monday night while maintaining their lead in the National League West before 24,725.

Adrian Beltre hit his team-leading 28th home run and productive reserve infielder Jose Hernandez contributed his seventh, helping the Dodgers offset three Colorado homers in winning the opener of a four-game series and recording their ninth consecutive road victory.

“It doesn’t matter where we play, we believe we should win,” said Beltre, who had two runs batted in, increasing his team-leading total to 73.

“You know what’s going to happen when you play here. You know they’re going to get runs, so you have to too, but we know what we can do.”

Milton Bradley had three hits and three runs batted in, one of them in a two-run seventh after Paul Lo Duca doubled to drive in Jayson Werth with the go-ahead run, breaking a 7-7 tie. Werth singled to start the inning and had two hits to break a 0-for-17 slump.

The Dodgers (58-40) got off to a good start on a seven-game trip against the division and remained 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Diego despite another disappointing outing from starter Kazuhisa Ishii, who gave up 10 hits, six earned runs and was chased in the fifth after the Dodgers gave him to a 7-4 lead.

Ishii gave up Jeromy Burnitz’s 24th homer and Todd Helton’s 20th. The struggling left-hander, however, contributed two singles and a RBI to a 12-hit attack.

“Base on balls in this ballpark hurt you,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “He gave up the home run to Burnitz that ended up being a two-run home run with a base on balls in front of it.

“Then in the fifth inning, we’re trying to get him through it. But when they got a couple hits, and had first and third with nobody out

“We’re at a point and time in the season where you have to do what you have to do to win baseball games. That’s all that boiled down to.”

Ishii expressed disappointment in his performance, saying he tried not to think about pitching at Coors Field.

“I just tried to pitch my regular game today,” Ishii said through an interpreter. “But they did end up getting all those hits, so I don’t think I was able to follow that plan.”

Duaner Sanchez (2-1) gave up the Rockies’ third homer to Vinny Castilla (No. 22), tying the score at 7-7 in the sixth, but earned the victory in a two-inning relief appearance. The Dodgers were uncomfortable in the ninth as the fourth-place Rockies (42-57) put the potential tying runs on base with one out against All-Star closer Eric Gagne, who uncharacteristically struggled with his command.

Gagne hit Preston Wilson with a pitch and walked Burnitz. Charles Johnson sent Werth to the warning track in left for the second out, and pinch-hitter Matt Holliday grounded out to end the game.

“I knew he didn’t get all of it, but you never know here,” Gagne, who recorded his 29th save in 30 chances, said of Johnson’s at-bat. “It’s Colorado.”

The Dodgers finally solved Colorado starter Shawn Estes, who went 3-0 with a 2.79 earned-run average in his first three starts against them.

They tagged Estes for eight hits and seven runs. Allan Simpson (0-1) gave up the run-scoring doubles to Lo Duca and Bradley in the seventh.

Ishii had hoped to rebound at Coors Field after having been chased in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to Colorado at Dodger Stadium.

But the Dodger starter had another short outing Monday, getting pulled after facing three batters in the fifth without recording an out.

Ishii has a 5.70 career ERA against Colorado. His season ERA increased from 4.31 to 4.63.

“I wanted to come back strong,” Ishii said. “I wanted to come back stronger. Next time I will.”