Martinez Makes It Look Easy : Dodgers: With early lead, he goes the distance and limits Phillies to four hits. L.A. wins, 7-1.

Ramon Martinez made quick work of the Dodgers’ two-game losing streak and Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak Friday night, shackling the Phillies on four hits in a 7-1 victory.

Scoring early so that Martinez could pitch on cruise control, the Dodgers gave the 29,364 fans at Veterans Stadium little to cheer about.

Martinez (4-1) won his third consecutive complete game. The only run he gave up came in the fifth inning on a two-out infield hit.

“He’s one of the unique pitchers in baseball,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said. “He don’t throw no forkballs. He doesn’t throw no cut fastball. He comes out and throws hard. He just plays old-fashioned hardball.”

In ending the Phillies’ streak, the Dodgers also put a detour in the comeback of Danny Cox, who last weekend pitched for the first time since August of 1988.

Cox (0-1), didn’t make it out of the second inning. He faced 11 hitters and recorded only four outs--the last on a sacrifice fly by Juan Samuel that made it 5-0. By that time Eddie Murray had hit a two-run home run and Martinez had the first of two run-scoring singles.

“I felt fine. I just got some pitches up and they hit ‘em,” Cox said.

Either way it wasn’t pretty.

After retiring the first two batters, Cox gave up a single to Darryl Strawberry and Murray’s third homer.

The first four batters reached safely in the second with Martinez singling in one run and Brett Butler doubling in another. Cox left after Samuel’s sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers added two more runs in the third off Pat Combs with Martinez getting the key hit, punching a two-out, run-scoring single through the middle.

After losing the first two games of this trip in Montreal, the Dodgers regained their winning touch, thanks in part to their ability to score early. In getting back to .500 (11-11) and improving to 7-5 on the road, the Dodgers have scored 32 first-inning runs this year.

“We’ve been a heck of a first-inning team,” Lasorda said. “This club can score runs.”

The recipient of many of them has been Martinez, who has been backed by 22 runs in his last three starts.

Martinez hasn’t squandered them. In his last three games he has allowed 14 hits and one run. With the big cushion Friday, he was content to put the ball in play, getting 10 fly-ball outs and striking out four. The Phillies had hit .320 in their last five games.

Catcher Mike Scioscia says it’s a sign Martinez is becoming a more complete pitcher.

“Early on he had a good curveball and change. He’s got two different fastballs. He used all his pitches tonight,” Scioscia said. “He’s a lot more of a pitcher than people realize.”

Said Martinez: “I pitched very good, with everything under control. I was kind of tired the last couple innings, so I didn’t try to overdo it. When I try for strikeouts, I make a lot more pitches so I’m learning to pitch without a lot of strikeouts.

“Last year I was trying to show how I can compete, I have a good fastball. Now I have a curveball and I’m getting more confidence in it. I hear last night (the Phillies) won five in a row and they hit good so I said I have to go out and make the pitches I want.”