Dodgers Lose Tussle With Marlins, 7-6

The Dodgers found themselves in an early hole Tuesday night because rookie starter Luke Prokopec is learning on the job.

Prokopec struggled and the Dodgers faced a five-run deficit in the third inning. They rallied, but still came up a run short in the Florida Marlins’ 7-6 victory at Dodger Stadium.

Gary Sheffield’s two-out, full-count, run-scoring single in the ninth off Marlin closer Antonio Alfonseca got the Dodgers closer with Shawn Green on deck.

But the rally ended when Marlin center fielder Preston Wilson went to the wall in left-center to haul down Green’s drive for the final out.

Alfonseca also walked two in the ninth but nailed down his sixth save and the victory for starter Brad Penny before a crowd of 24,956 at Dodger Stadium.

The ninth inning was wild for Alfonseca, the Marlins and Dodgers.

The Marlins got an insurance run in their half of the inning on former Dodger Charles Johnson’s run-scoring single, taking a 7-5 lead.

Enter Alfonseca.

Jeff Reboulet pinch-hit for Alex Cora and drew a leadoff walk, and Chris Donnels, hitting for pitcher Gregg Olson, also walked, after Marquis Grissom struck out.

Mark Grudzielanek, who hit his sixth homer in the third, struck out for the second out with Sheffield on deck.

Reboulet scored from second after Sheffield singled to conclude a 10-pitch at-bat, but Green did not provide another timely hit.

“I think tonight is another indication of, No. 1, what this team is about, and No. 2, why we’re in the position we’re in,” Manager Jim Tracy said of the Dodgers, who remained in first place in the NL West despite the loss.

The Marlins pounded Prokopec (3-1) from the outset, getting five consecutive hits while batting around and taking a 3-0 lead in the first.

Prokopec could not recover from his shaky start and was chased after only four innings in the worst outing of his brief career.

Penny (2-0) fared much better.

Staked to a 5-0 lead in the third, the Marlin right-hander worked six solid innings and got only his second decision in seven starts.

Grudzielanek got the Dodgers started with a two-run home run--his first homer in 21 games--in the third off Penny after Tom Goodwin walked, and Sheffield hit his team-leading 10th home run in the eighth off reliever Dan Miceli with Grudzielanek on first to cut the Marlins’ lead to 6-5.

Reliever Giovanni Carrara, whose contract was purchased Tuesday from triple-A Las Vegas, worked three scoreless innings in his Dodger debut.

“Luke tonight just didn’t have it,” Tracy said. “He got pitches up in the strike zone and fell behind early.

“He got us through the fourth and we got three very good innings from Giovanni Carrara. You need a guy who’s going to extend himself beyond an inning or two.”

The Dodgers, who had 10 hits, failed to score with one out and the bases loaded in the fourth when Penny struck out Cora and pinch-hitter Hiram Bocachica.

They lost for the fourth time in five games, and Prokopec is out of sync.

After three strong starts, the Australian right-hander has struggled in his last two and left the door ajar for Eric Gagne, coming off an impressive seven-inning outing, in their battle for the fifth rotation spot.

It was one of those nights for the rookie.

He gave up nine hits--including Derrek Lee’s fourth homer--six runs, and had three strikeouts with three walks.

Prokopec had hoped for an effective outing after he earned a victory in his last start despite having pitched poorly.

Things obviously did not go as planned.

Marlin leadoff batter Luis Castillo opened the game with a single and advanced to third on Eric Owens’ double.

After Cliff Floyd’s single to left gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead, Mike Lowell and Wilson singled to load the bases. Lee’s sacrifice fly provided the Marlins’ final run in the inning.