Call Him Ismael and a Winner : Dodgers: Braves learn all they care to know about Valdes, who pitches 6-3 victory.

His first name is usually mispronounced, his last name misspelled, his nationality mistaken.

The name is Ismael Valdes.

It’s pronounced ISH-male. There is no Z in Valdes. He comes from Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico, not the Dominican Republic.

Oh yes, and another thing: He might be the best-kept secret in baseball . . . until now.

Valdes pitched his first major league complete game Thursday as the Dodgers scored a 6-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, alerting the baseball world that it will be hearing from him for quite some time.

“I absolutely love Valdes,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “I think he’ll be one of the best pitchers in the league, if he’s not already.

“I know they’ve got a lot of great arms over there, and they’ve got guys who have been around for a while, but I’m not sure if he’s not already their best pitcher.”

Dodger first baseman Eric Karros said: “He’s kind of opening everybody’s eyes right now.”

Valdes, 21, the youngest pitcher in the National League, did not become a full-fledged member of the rotation until two weeks ago. He made a spot start in the Dodgers’ fourth game, but was considered too valuable in the bullpen until a fifth starter became absolutely necessary.

“I think we’ve seen the last of Ismael in the bullpen,” reliever Greg Hansell said. “Oh well, at least we can say we lost him for a good cause.”

Valdes (1-2), making only his sixth start, scattered seven hits without a walk. If not for first baseman Fred McGriff, who hit a two-run homer and then a leadoff double for Atlanta’s third run, Valdes might have had a shutout.

It made no difference. Nothing was going to spoil his night, particularly after he’d watched his teammates score six runs in the first seven innings, three driven in by former Brave Roberto Kelly, who had a single and two doubles.

“I really don’t care who we play. I go hard against every team,” said Kelly, who was traded from Atlanta to Montreal during spring training and to the Dodgers last week.

“I hope they keep scoring; it was very important to me” said Valdes, who planned to present the game ball to his mother. “When you have been pitching good games and you don’t get the W , you get frustrated.”

Valdes, whose 2.68 earned-run average is at least a full run lower than that of any other Dodger starter, was particularly upset after his last start in Montreal. It was the second consecutive time that he had allowed one run but had an 0-1 record with a no-decision to show for it.

Dodger veteran Tom Candiotti counseled him, explaining the nuances of being a starting pitcher.

“I told him as frustrated as it may be, you can’t really worry about it,” Candiotti said. “Just go out and keep pitching good, because you’ve got a world of talent.

“It’s just amazing what he’s doing. I mean, right now, he’s just pitching on pure talent. Can you imagine what he’s going to do once he starts acquiring knowledge on the hitters?

“His talent and makeup is so good, there’s no reason to believe he couldn’t be a 20-game winner.”

Valdes has earned the admiration of his teammates simply by his quick work habits. His last two games have lasted 2 hours 18 minutes and 2 hours 24 minutes.

“He likes to work so fast, that as soon as I throw my fingers down, here’s the ball,” catcher Tom Prince said.

Said Karros: “He’s just awesome to play behind. Look at him. He’s not leading the league in strikeouts, is he? But he’s more effective because he throws strikes and is not afraid to let the guys hit the ball. He just gets the ball, throws it and, boom, the game is over.”

Valdes’ performance enabled the Dodgers (15-19) to go 5-5 on this four-city, 10-game trip.

“We play our best when we come in at 3 in the morning and don’t get any sleep,” said Karros, who drove in a run and extended his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games. “Maybe we should do that more often.”