Dodgers win

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers’ magic number for clinching the N.L. West is down to zero – finally.

After a season-worst five-game losing streak, they came through on the second-to-last day of the regular season and beat the stubborn Colorado Rockies 5-0 on Saturday night with a five-run seventh triggered by RBI singles from pinch-hitters Ronnie Belliard and Mark Loretta and six scoreless innings by 21-year-old lefty Clayton Kershaw.

Los Angeles’ second straight division title wasn’t as easy to secure as it appeared to be last weekend, when it held a six-game lead with seven games remaining. The Rockies, who were 15 1/2 games behind the Dodgers on June 3, entered this three-game series having to sweep to win their first division title in the franchise’s 17-year history.

“We were some of those people who didn’t think it came soon enough,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “We were on the brink last Sunday against Pittsburgh.”

The Rockies took the opener 4-3 for their fifth straight win and ninth in 12 games, but will have to settle for their second wild-card berth in three years and a matchup with the defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies.

And they may have to start the division series without Jorge De La Rosa, who left the game in the fourth inning because of tightness in his right groin.

The Dodgers can now concentrate on next Wednesday’s division series opener at Chavez Ravine against the Central Division champion St. Louis Cardinals. It will be a rematch of their 2004 NLDS showdown, when the Cards won and the teams shook hands after the final game. The Dodgers’ manager then was Jim Tracy, who now calls the shots for the Rockies.