TOMKO REWRITES CHAPTER HOLDS ON AFTER LOSING NO-HIT BID IN THE 6TH DODGERS 5, FLORIDA 3.

Byline: TONY JACKSON 

Staff Writer

MIAMI -- In the bottom of the sixth inning, just after Florida speedster Hanley Ramirez beat out an infield bouncer for the Marlins' first hit of the game, Dodgers manager Grady Little noticed something hanging in the air at Dolphin Stadium, stinging his nostrils and burning his eyes. This time, it wasn't smoke from all those nearby, drought-induced wildfires.

It was a frightening sense of deja vu.

The last time Brett Tomko lost a no-hitter at an advanced stage of a game, less than two weeks ago at San Diego, Little opted not to visit the mound. Consequently, or perhaps coincidentally, Tomko's momentary imperfection quickly ballooned into four consecutive hits and a decisive, three-run inning for the Padres.

This time, with that memory as a backdrop, Little did go out, armed with his usual, soothing smile and his uncanny knack for finding just the right words. It was a decision that might have been pivotal for Tomko -- who finally got his first win as a starter since last June -- and for the Dodgers, who held on to beat the Marlins 5-3 in front of an announced crowd of 12,213 on Wednesday night.

It might have been deja vu, but it wasn't deja vu all over again.

"He is always pretty witty when he comes out there," Tomko said. "He just said (the no-hit bid) was over with, so let's turn the page and get the next guy. Unfortunately, I didn't get the next guy, or the next guy after that. But I just took it one pitch at a time."

Eventually, after Dan Uggla and Miguel Cabrera also had singled off Tomko to spoil his shutout bid, Tomko's one-pitch-at-a-time approach led to two pitches that were very important.

Josh Willingham swung and missed at one for the second out of the inning. Aaron Boone took the other for a called third strike, ending the inning, stranding Uggla and Cabrera and giving Tomko cause to walk off the field pumping his right fist.

"I just wanted (Tomko) to keep his focus right there, which he was able to do pretty (darn) well," Little said. "He still made good, quality pitches.

"That guy threw a great ballgame for us into the seventh inning."

Tomko -- along with relievers Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito -- also pitched the Dodgers to a bit of breathing room in the National League West. The four other teams all lost, and the Dodgers now lead second-place San Diego and Arizona by two games.

Tomko (1-3) did give up a pinch-hit, two-run homer to Mike Jacobs with two outs in the seventh, ending the right-hander's outing at 89pitches and making for a tense next few minutes.

That tension only increased when Broxton, the last and most visible culprit in Tuesday night's loss to the Marlins, gave up a hit and a stolen base to Ramirez, the first batter he faced. But Broxton got Uggla to ground out, then retired the Marlins in order in the eighth.

The Dodgers then put the game away with a run in the ninth on a two-out bunt single by Wilson Valdez that scored Russell Martin from third. It was Valdez's second bunt hit of the game.

"The first couple of at-bats, I didn't feel good swinging," said Valdez, who started in left field on a night when the Dodgers went heavily right-handed against Marlins lefty Dontrelle Willis (5-2). "Those last twoat-bats, I had to do something. I could see Cabrera playing back (at third), and I knew I had to take advantage. I bunted perfectly."

Back in the fourth, Tomko had bunted perfectly, as well, executing a suicide squeeze against Willis that allowed Valdez to score. Willis fielded it and tagged Tomko, but never had a chance to get Valdez, who crossed the plate to make it 2-0.

"The key is to not give it away too early so you don't get (a pitch) in the chest," Tomko said. "You just have to get it in play. Dontrelle is a good athlete, so you don't want to bunt it right back to him or bunt it too hard."

Valdez was so far down the line when Tomko made contact that it almost didn't matter where the ball was placed.

"I saw Dontrelle separate the ball from his glove, and I took off," Valdez said. "Tomko made a perfect bunt."

Rafael Furcal then doubled in Brady Clark for a 3-0 lead, and the Dodgers made it 4-0 on Olmedo Saenz's solo homer in the fifth.

Saito pitched a one-hit ninth for his 10th save.

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Photo:

(1 -- color) Dodgers starter Brett Tomko gave up three runs in earning his first win of the season.

(2) The Dodgers' Olmedo Saenz is congratulated by teammate Andy LaRoche after homering in the fifth inning Wednesday.

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press