No Bullpen--Martinez Does It, 2-0 : Baseball: His second consecutive shutout follows the Dodgers’ meeting with relievers.

It was a day of discussion for Dodger officials, who met with their future closer and had an open forum with their relievers, trying to figure out what to do about a bullpen that has blown 14 of 23 save opportunities.

But the Dodgers’ biggest relief came Tuesday night when they found they didn’t need any. While everyone relaxed in the bullpen at Joe Robbie Stadium, Ramon Martinez kept the Florida Marlins off balance by pitching his second consecutive shutout, a three-hit, 2-0 victory before 26,730.

“I felt so great tonight, I felt like a giant out there, “ said Martinez, who retired 27 of 31 batters, walked none, struck out seven and hit Russ Morman with a pitch.

Martinez (5-2) said it is the best he has felt since the 1990 and ’91 seasons, when he won 37 games with a blazing fastball and change up. And according to pitching coach Ron Perranoski, the right-hander is a better pitcher now than in those earlier glory years.

“When he first came up, he threw hard, but a lot of pitches that players swung at were out of the strike zone,” Perranoski said. “I don’t know how fast he is throwing now, but I know he has gained about 5 m.p.h. on his fastball from the beginning of last year. He has real good mechanics, and some of his pitches are unhittable.”

Perranoski has been working with Martinez the last couple of years to make his delivery more compact, and now it is. Marlin Manager Rene Lachemann said Martinez isn’t the same pitcher as last season, when he was 10-12 with a 3.22 earned-run average. And Marlin shortstop Kurt Abbott, who has faced Martinez on two occasions, said he would prefer not to have the experience again.

“I don’t want to see him a third time,” Abbott said. “His fastball is not a straight 98-m.p.h. fastball, it’s more like a 98-m.p.h. Whiffle ball. I don’t know how a left-handed hitter gets the bat on the ball.”

Martinez has pitched well in his last seven starts, winning the last five decisions and four of the last five games. His complete game couldn’t have come at a better time, with the bullpen stressed out after blowing leads of 5-1 and 9-3 in the two previous games, causing Manager Tom Lasorda to call a meeting of his relievers.

“It’s been a nightmare; we have been pitching horribly,” Jim Gott said. “This reminds me of 1992, when nobody could make a (defensive) play. It’s like you are expecting something to go wrong, and then (it’s a) domino effect. You think, ‘Is it going to happen again?’ You can’t have that mind-set.”

The bullpen problem was serious enough for Executive Vice President Fred Claire to cancel his trip to Dodgertown. It’s believed that he’ll call up Ismael Valdez, a 20-year-old right-hander nicknamed “Rocket,” from Albuquerque, probably to replace Gary Wayne.

“It’s not as though there is unproven talent (in the bullpen),” Claire said, “but I can’t argue with the results because I have never seen anything like (Monday’s game). You can watch batting practice all day and not see seven balls hit like that. That’s why this game will drive all of us crazy.”

Claire said he is still satisfied with the major leagues as a stage for Darren Dreifort, who has been struggling. And Dreifort said Tuesday he is comfortable breaking in at this level. Lasorda and Perranoski met with him before Tuesday’s game to boost his confidence.

“I’ve been as surprised as anybody about Dreifort, because as good as his stuff is, he should get better results,” Claire said. “If (he had) a different personality, maybe my viewpoint would be different. But I don’t think he’s moping. . . . Perry (Perranoski) thinks a lot of adjustments can be made here.”

Meanwhile, the relievers tried to maintain a sense of humor, with Al Osuna and starter Kevin Gross spraying whipped cream on the Marlins’ mascot as it cruised by on the warning track.

But in the ninth inning, with a runner on first base, Martinez looked toward the bullpen and saw Osuna and Todd Worrell throwing, and although he said he had confidence in them, he also decided he was going to finish the game.

“I know we are struggling with the bullpen a little bit,” he said, “but we (starters) were struggling before too, and now it’s time for the starters to pick them up.”