Dodgers Fueled by Battery Charge : Baseball: Martinez becomes NL’s first six-game winner with help from Scioscia, who makes key play in 1,200th game.

The Dodgers should not have been surprised that they were rescued from a late-inning disaster Monday thanks to a cross-check at home plate by Mike Scioscia.

The guy has only done it about 1,000 times.

In the eighth inning of the game in which he became the all-time Los Angeles Dodger leader in games caught, Scioscia stopped former amateur hockey player Larry Walker in a home-plate collision to prevent the tying run from scoring and lead the Dodgers to a 5-3 victory over the Montreal Expos.

Scioscia’s block, which came after the Expos attempted a double steal on a strikeout by Ron Hassey, ignited the Dodger Stadium crowd of 26,495 and inspired his teammates to score four more times in the ninth for their sixth victory in nine games.

The victory also made Ramon Martinez the National League’s first six-game winner as he improved to 6-1 by giving up two runs and six hits in 7 1/3 innings.

But it shouldn’t have been this difficult.

Backed by the Dodgers’ four-run sixth inning featuring Kal Daniels’ third homer, Martinez cruised into the eighth before allowing a leadoff homer to Delino DeShields. One out later, Ivan Calderon singled to right and Jim Gott was summoned from the bullpen.

Entering the game for the first time this season with runners on base, Gott walked Tim Wallach and was relieved by John Candelaria, who gave up an infield single to Walker, loading the bases.

In came Jay Howell, the Dodgers’ stopper, who has given up hits in eight of his 10 appearances this season. He gave up a two-run single to right by Andres Galarraga, putting runners on first and third.

He then battled Ron Hassey to a full count before striking him out as Galarraga attempted to steal second. Scioscia threw to second, where Juan Samuel caught the ball at the bag as Galarraga was sliding in.

By this time, Walker was racing toward home. Samuel did not attempt a risky tag, and instead threw back to Scioscia, who blocked the 210-pound Walker off the plate and made the tag.

The Dodgers celebrated in their half of the eighth with four runs on a wild pitch and Chris Gwynn’s three-run pinch homer, his first homer this season. Gwynn is hitting .500 in 10 pinch at-bats this season with six runs batted in.

Afterward, however, nobody was celebrating like Martinez. Since June 1, 1990, he is 21-4. In his last 14 starts, he is 11-1. He leads the National League in complete games with four, and is among the league leaders with an earned-run average of 1.72.

Martinez received all the help he would need in the sixth inning against starter and loser Oil Can Boyd.

With two outs, Samuel hit a broken-bat single to center field and stole second. Darryl Strawberry walked. Eddie Murray doubled against the right field wall to score two runs.

Daniels, still recovering from flu that sidelined him for three days, then hit a two-run home run down the left-field line.

It began as a night of achievements that had nothing to do with the game.

Scioscia was honored for catching his 1,200th game for the Dodgers. In the fourth inning, Orel Hershiser was honored in absentia when the Dodgers announced that he has thrown five scoreless innings for triple-A Albuquerque against Phoenix. He might return to the roster for the May 27-29 series against Houston at Dodger Stadium.

Martinez looked like another version of Hershiser. He struck out the first batter of the game, DeShields, and could not be flustered thereafter.

Martinez walked Wallach to start the second inning, but promptly threw to first base while Wallach was running toward second and Wallach was officially caught stealing.

Martinez gave up singles to DeShields and Marquis Grissom with two outs in the third, but retired Ivan Calderon on a fly ball to end the inning.

After breezing through the fourth and fifth innings, Martinez faced his biggest challenge in the sixth, when Wallach and Walker singled before Galarraga struck out.