[0] IT'S A GREEN HOUSE EFFECT OUTFIELDER PULLS DODGERS OUT OF FUNK DODGERS 5, FLORIDA 3.

Byline: Steve Dilbeck Staff Writer

This is what home should be like for the weary. A place for timely hitting. Clutch defensive plays. A break when it's needed.

And for the Dodgers, a little Shawn Green. OK, a lot of Shawn Green.

Coming back to this strange place called home following a disappointing road trip and with a four-game losing streak, the Dodgers rallied to drop the Florida Marlins 5-3 on Friday night.

Green was all over this victory, driving in two runs, scoring twice, collecting three hits and throwing out a runner at the plate. He looked like a guy who could earn his $84 million.

Terry Adams (2-1) got the win in relief of an effective Carlos Perez, and Jeff Shaw pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his sixth save.

The Dodgers had played only five of their first 21 games at home before Friday, and were trailing 3-2 in the seventh when they finally shook the road blues and acted like Dodger Stadium was a place they could embrace.

``Everything had kind of been catching up to us,'' Green said. ``It's like we had the flu, finally broke the fever and started feeling better.''

Devon White opened the bottom of the seventh with a single off Florida rookie starter Brad Penny. A bunt from F.P. Santangelo - whose throwing error in the top of the inning had allowed the Marlins to take the 3-2 lead - moved White to second, before Penny walked Gary Sheffield.

The Marlins called on left-hander Armando Almanza to face Green, who quickly doubled down the right-field line. White scored easily and Sheffield was waved in.

Sheffield was coming hard to the plate with the go-ahead run on what looked like a close play when first baseman Kevin Millar's relay bounced in front of catcher Mike Redmond and into a photographers' well. Sheffield scored and Green, who had gone to third on the throw home, trotted in on the throwing error.

``Shawn Green did it again,'' said Dodgers manager Davey Johnson.

This came on top of Green singling and scoring one of two runs on Kevin Elster's basehit in the fourth, and his throwing David Berg out at home in the second.

Like it was all in a day's work.

``That might be the calmest guy I've ever played with,'' Shaw said. ``He just goes about his job and gets it done. You can't tell if he went 0 for 4 or 4 for 4.''

Perez might have been looking for a little job security himself, and probably earned it with his best outing of the year. The left-hander went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out a season-high six.

``This was my best game this season,'' Perez said.

Perez threw 92 pitches, 60 for strikes, and even appeared to have a little more velocity. Perez said it was all about control.

``They don't pay me to throw hard, they pay be to get batters out,'' Perez said.

Perez wanted to pitch longer than the six innings, but Johnson was happy to get a strong start from the left-hander who only a few weeks ago was headed back to the minors.

``Carlos pitched well,'' Johnson said. ``It's another step in the right direction.''

Elster's timely two-run single off Penny in the second raised his RBI total to 15, one behind Sheffield's team-high 16.

``We really needed that,'' Johnson said.

Penny pitched well but took the loss to fall to 3-2 for Florida.

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Photo: (color) Dodgers' Devon White doesn't beat the tag by Florida's Alex Gonzalez on a first-inning steal attempt.

Michael Caulfield/Associated Press