Dodgers’ Martinez Notches Seventh Win

Ramon Martinez ran into some trouble with his mechanics and exited early.

No matter, he still became the National League’s first seven-game winner as the Dodgers beat the New York Mets, 7-5, Sunday behind three runs batted in from Kal Daniels.

“As long as we win, it’s OK,” Martinez said after going six innings and leaving with the Dodgers ahead 5-2. “By the fifth inning, my mechanics were not so good. I was leaning back too far and I threw a lot of high pitches.”

Martinez (7-1) didn’t allow a hit through the first four innings, but, after a delay of some 10 minutes while the grounds crew worked on the mound at the request of Met pitcher David Cone, Martinez allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in the fifth.

“I got in sort of a rhythm, but that seemed to take too long when they were working on the mound,” Martinez said. “I felt like a lost a little bit of my rhythm.”

Cone said he wasn’t trying to affectMartinez, only to help himself when he asked that the grounds crew do some leveling at the front of the mound.

“Usually, Dodger Stadium has one of the best mounds condition-wise,” Cone said. “I’ve never seen it that poor. It was a little too muddy and the holes were getting a little too big too early. They tried to pat down the mud with a rake. . . . I don’t know who’s doing the job over there, but they did a poor job today.”

Martinez, 20-6 last year in his first full season with the Dodgers, has won six in a row and matched the Angels’ Chuck Finley as the only seven-game winners in the majors. Martinez (7-1) allowed two runs and three hits, struck out five and walked three.

Tim Crews, the fifth Dodgers pitcher, got five outs for his first save this season.

Cone (3-3) gave up five runs and four hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked four.

Stan Javier’s sacrifice fly gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead in the fifth and Daniels followed with a two-out, two-run homer, his fourth this season.

Jim Gott walked Hubie Brooks with the bases loaded in the seventh, but the Dodgers took a 7-3 lead in the bottom of the inning on Eddie Murray’s sacrifice fly and Doug Simons’ walk to Mike Scioscia with the bases loaded.

Vince Coleman hit a run-scoring groundout in the eighth and Howard Johnson hit his ninth home run in the ninth.

The Dodgers took the lead in the first when first baseman Dave Magadan threw away a grounder and allowed Daniels to score from second. Daniels hit a sacrifice fly in the second for a 2-0 lead.