DODGERS' RALLY COMES UP SHORT NINTH-INNING MISCUES DOOM L.A.; ISHII'S STREAK ENDS FLORIDA 4, DODGERS 3.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

MIAMI - Shawn Green won a Gold Glove playing right field for Toronto in 1999 and played a solid right field for the Dodgers the past two seasons, but lately his defense has been a hot topic for discussion.

Dodgers manager Jim Tracy addressed several situations with Green recently as questions circulated about Green's outfield positioning and not taking charge on high popups in the Bermuda Triangle known as short right field.

Another log for the fire was provided in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday against Florida. Eric Owens lined a ball over a frozen Green's head for a double and scored the winning run on Luis Castillo's bases-loaded bloop single to give the Marlins a 4-3 victory against the Dodgers at Pro Player Stadium.

``I froze,'' Green said. ``I can't say if I get the same ball tomorrow, I make that play because I was just reading it and it went way farther than I judged. You have to stop and try to read it.''

Adding to the sting, the Dodgers rallied from two runs down on Paul Lo Duca's RBI single in the eighth and Dave Roberts' sacrifice line drive in the ninth off Marlins closer Vladimir Nunez.

However, a frustrating evening that saw first baseman Eric Karros ejected with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning was intensified when Marlins right fielder Cliff Floyd stretched to catch Roberts' one-out line drive that could have cleared the bases. Instead, pinch runner Hiram Bocachica scored to make it 3-3, but Cesar Izturis struck out to end the inning.

``I was thinking more than a double. I thought it was going to get over his head, but he made a good play,'' Roberts said. ``To find some kind of positive, it shows character that we did come back and put up a fight and make them score a run in the bottom of the ninth, but it's a tough loss.''

Owens led off the ninth with Green's misjudged double off reliever Giovanni Carrara (2-1) and went to third on a wild pitch. Charles Johnson walked and pinch hitter Tim Raines was intentionally walked before Castillo blooped the ball down the left-field line to score the game-winner.

The loss ended Dodgers rookie lefty Kazuhisa Ishii's string at six wins in six starts, but he remained unbeaten thanks to the ninth-inning rally. But control issues still plague Ishii, who allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings but walked five. All three runs the Marlins scored off Ishii reached base via walk and he leads Dodgers pitchers with 26.

``If this gentleman gets to the point where he forces the opposition to get three hits off him to score, it's going to be real hard for them to score off him,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. ``He's going to have to make a couple of real bad pitches for you to score runs off him.''

Ishii combated his wildness in his past few starts by pitching from the stretch after a couple of innings, but he went right to that philosophy against the Marlins. Ishii, who walked four in the first two innings, pitched exclusively from the stretch.

``He warmed up with his windup and didn't find his rhythm so he decided to go from the stretch from the beginning,'' Dodgers pitching coach Jim Colborn said. ``But still, his rhythm was off so maybe the problem is not with the windup or the stretch, it's just the first few innings. We'll try to think of ways to make him sharper in the first inning.''

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Photo:

(color) Eric Karros (23) argues a call with home-plate umpire Eric Cooper in the fourth inning Friday before getting ejected from the game.

Alan Diaz/Associated Press