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MIAMI - Rookie sensation Dontrelle Willis against the weak-hitting Los Angeles Dodgers turned out to be a mismatch.
The Dodgers drubbed him.
Willis retired six batters and gave up seven runs, including a three-run homer by Adrian Beltre that helped Los Angeles beat the Marlins 9-3 on Monday night.
In a rare show of offense by the Dodgers, their first eight hitters reached base in the third as they scored six. Their total runs matched their most since April 20.
Willis lasted two-plus innings, matching his shortest outing. The left-hander's ERA rose from 2.56 to 3.10, and in five starts since the All-Star break it's 6.48.
"This is not a marquee night for fantasy baseball," he said. "But it takes a lot to get me down."
Willis said he struggled with the location of his fastball. He repeatedly fell behind in the count and walked three.
"I told him it wasn't his night," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. "But I think he knew that."
Odalis Perez allowed two runs and seven hits in eight innings. An .050 hitter, he also walked against Willis and scored the run that put Los Angeles ahead to stay.
"The guy wasn't throwing strikes," Perez said. "And when he threw strikes, he got hit."
Beltre, who began the night hitting .225, tripled and scored the Dodgers' first run, then hit his 12th homer batting cleanup for the first time this season. He singled in the ninth to finish a double shy of the cycle.
Rickey Henderson walked three times, scored once and singled home a run. Cesar Izturis had three of the Dodgers' 16 hits and scored twice.
The Marlins, who have lost two in a row for the second time since June 17-18, fell a half-game behind idle NL wild-card leader Philadelphia.
The Dodgers are three back. They rank last in the league in runs and batting average, but they've won seven of their past eight.
"It's nice to be in the position we're in knowing we haven't played up to our potential," outfielder Shawn Green said.
Los Angeles improved to 4-0 against the Marlins this season and has outscored them 17-6.
The start was delayed 31 minutes by threatening weather, and the game was reminiscent of one Willis pitched against the Cubs on July 20. That day he waited out a rain delay of 67 minutes in the second, then failed to retire a batter when play resumed and gave up six runs in the third.
This time, Willis led 2-1 when Izturis began the third by beating out a grounder to short for an infield single. Perez and Henderson walked to load the bases, and Paul Lo Duca singled home two to put the Dodgers ahead. Green hit a run-scoring single, and Beltre homered for a 7-2 lead.