Dodgers 6, Marlins 4

By STEVEN WINE
AP Sports Writer

MIAMI (AP) With a rare night off, Florida Marlins manager Jack McKeon said he had better things to do than watch baseball on TV. Instead, he planned to take his wife to dinner.

Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies, battling Florida for the lead in the NL wild-card race, were playing Milwaukee. But the 72-year-old McKeon learned long ago that the race is a marathon, so he's not sweating results of games that don't involve his team yet.

``We've got 40 games left,'' he said. ``We can't worry about the Phillies. We've got to do it on the field.''

The Marlins didn't do it Thursday afternoon, when Eric Gagne put an end to their last-inning heroics. The Los Angeles Dodgers' closer struck out the side in the ninth for a 6-4 victory, extending his major-league record for consecutive saves at the start of a season to 40.

A few hours later while McKeon was at dinner Philadelphia beat Milwaukee 4-3 to regain the wild-card lead, one-half game ahead of Florida.

The Marlins open a three-game series Friday night at home against San Diego. They still have 28 games left against NL East teams.

``We play in the toughest division. We've got the toughest road,'' McKeon said. ``But I still think our guys are up to the task.''

The Dodgers closed to within four games in the wild-card race and salvaged a split of their four-game series in Miami.

``It's nice to come away with a split after the tough games we played the past few days,'' outfielder Jeromy Burnitz said.

Florida beat Los Angeles on Tuesday and Wednesday with walk-off homers in extra innings, but on Thursday the Marlins went down 1-2-3 in the ninth on 11 pitches against Gagne.

Burnitz and Adrian Beltre hit two-run homers, increasing the Dodgers' season total to 83 lowest in the major leagues.

Kevin Brown (12-6), starting on three days' rest for the first time season, pitched seven innings and allowed three runs. All came on Miguel Cabrera's wind-blown homer to right field in the second.

``If I hadn't given up a home run in a jet stream, it would have been an easier game,'' Brown said.

But Beltre's home run was also aided by a 15-mph wind, barely clearing the center-field wall to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead off Mark Redman (10-6). Burnitz homered in the seventh off Armando Almanza to make it 6-3.

``On a windy day, with anything in the air you're playing Russian roulette,'' Redman said.

Los Angeles' Shawn Green went 3-for-4 with a walk, stole two bases and scored twice.

Brown allowed only five hits and won for only the second time in his past nine games. His start was moved up one day after right-hander Andy Ashby came down the flu Wednesday.

``We had somebody go down, and somebody had to move up,'' Brown said. ``I told them I was available.''

Redman needed 119 pitches to get through five innings, allowing seven hits and four runs. Florida starters have an ERA of 6.67 in the past five games.

Beltre hit his 13th home run in the fifth after Green walked with two out. Green led off the seventh with a single and scored with two out on Burnitz's 24th homer.

Florida made it 6-4 in the eighth on Juan Encarnacion's RBI infield single. Derrek Lee popped out with two on to end the inning.

That was the extent of the Marlins' comeback bid, thanks to Gagne. Over the past 20 innings, the right-hander has allowed no runs and three hits while striking out 32.

``His numbers speak for themselves,'' Florida's Mike Lowell said. ``You know you'll have a tough at-bat, because he throws hard, and he throws off-speed pitches for strikes.''<

^Notes:@ The Dodgers won the season series 5-2. ... Brown is 23-9 with a 2.30 ERA at Pro Player Stadium, where he pitched for Florida in 1996-97. ... The Dodgers' 11-inning 2-1 loss Wednesday was the 30th time they've scored less than two runs. It has happened 10 times since the All-Star break. ... Ivan Rodriguez flied out pinch-hitting and is 2-for-17 against Los Angeles this season.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)