Valdes Can’t Get Started This Time : Dodgers: After a delay of two hours 26 minutes because of rain, he gives up five runs in first inning of 8-6 loss.

Ismael Valdes has been the hard-luck member of the Dodger starting rotation, losing often because run support is usually scarce when he’s on the mound.

But he had only himself to blame for what occurred Monday night during an 8-6 loss to the Florida Marlins at Pro Player Stadium.

The Marlins pounded the usually reliable Valdes early, chasing him after only three innings--his shortest outing of the season.

Florida scored five runs in the first inning, including four on Mark Kotsay’s first career grand slam. Preston Wilson increased the Marlins’ lead to 6-2 in the third with an upper-deck solo shot to left field.

Valdes (9-13) is second on the staff in quality starts, but Monday’s effort wasn’t in that category.

Marlin starter Brian Meadows (11-14) pitched five-plus innings to earn the victory. Antonio Alfonseca worked a scoreless ninth for his 16th save.

Valdes simply couldn’t find his groove after a two-hour 26-minute rain delay, losing for the fifth time in his last eight starts before an announced crowd of 12,089.

Manager Davey Johnson waited for Valdes to do something right--but it didn’t happen.

“Obviously, he didn’t have a good night,” Johnson said. “He didn’t have a good warmup; he felt like he couldn’t get the ball down.

“I can’t remember a night like that from him all year. He really didn’t pitch.”

Valdes gave up seven hits and six runs. He threw 45 strikes in 67 pitches, but his location was bad.

He made his quickest exit since being removed after 2 2/3 innings in an 18-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants at 3Com Park last Sept. 19. In that game, he gave up nine hits and seven runs.

The Dodgers pulled within 7-6 on Raul Mondesi’s two-run homer in the eighth. The homer was Mondesi’s second of the game, marking his fifth multi-homer game of the season and 13th of his career.

Eric Karros also hit his 31st homer, but the Dodgers couldn’t overcome Valdes’ poor outing. After sweeping a three-game series from the Chicago Cubs, the Dodgers (65-72) lost the opener to the Marlins (55-82) and are 2-5 against the last-place team in the National League East.

“It was just a bad night,” said Valdes, whose earned-run average increased from 3.27 to 3.50. “Sometimes you’re going to have bad nights, and this was one of them.”

The Marlins jumped out to a five-run lead before he had recorded an out. Valdes gave up doubles to the first two batters, trailing 1-0 shortly after the tarp was removed from the infield.

Valdes then walked Bruce Aven, and Kevin Millar singled to center to load the bases for Kotsay, the former Cal State Fullerton All-American.

Kotsay had not driven in a run during his previous 22 games and was only in the lineup because right fielder Danny Bautista was experiencing problems breathing after suffering a broken nose recently.

Kotsay’s drought ended, however, when he crushed a 2-and-1 pitch over the wall in right-center for the grand slam, his eighth homer of the season. Valdes then got three consecutive outs to remain in the game, but he knew he didn’t have much to offer.

“I don’t know what it was, it was almost like they knew what I was going to throw,” Valdes said. “But I can’t make excuses. I was just bad.”

He got through the second with only a walk, and retired the first two batters in the third before Wilson hit his team-leading 22nd homer. The ball traveled an estimated 470 feet, signaling the end was near for Valdes.

Valdes gave up two more singles in the inning before striking out Meadows for the final out. Then Valdes was out too.