Martinez Adds Zip to Pitch : Dodgers: He not only beats Cardinals, 3-0, but does it in little more than two hours.

ST. LOUIS —  It was difficult to determine what made the Dodgers happiest after their 3-0 victory Sunday over the St. Louis Cardinals--their three-game sweep at Busch Stadium or the amazing feat accomplished by Ramon Martinez.

Martinez, who works so slowly he is sometimes referred to as a human rain delay, shocked even himself by throwing a four-hit, complete-game shutout in only 2 hours 6 minutes.

“I pitch better when I’m faster,” said Martinez, who faced only five batters over the minimum and improved to 9-8. “I think that sometimes I pitch so slow it gives the batters more time to think.”

All the Cardinals had to think about after the game was how they couldn’t do anything against Martinez, who deliberately threw fewer pitches between innings to maintain his rhythm.

The Cardinals probably tried not to think about how they had been swept by a team languishing in fourth place, 19 1/2 games behind in the National League West.

For the Dodgers, the sweep extended their winning streak to four. It was the first time they swept the Cardinals since May, 1990.

The Cardinals’ only threat came in the third inning, when they had runners on first and second with no outs. Martinez got behind in the count to Bernard Gilkey, then worked him to a full count before Gilkey lined Martinez’s next pitch deep to left center. Eric Davis, making his first start in two games because of a stiff neck, made a great over-the-head catch on the run. A double play followed to keep the game scoreless.

“I knew he hit it hard and I got a good jump on it, but he hit it directly over my head and those are the toughest to catch,” Davis said. “It gets over my head and two runs score and it’s a double and maybe a triple.”

Davis followed that performance by leading off the fifth inning by sending a fastball by Cardinal starter Bob Tewksbury (13-8) over the wall in left-center. It was Davis’ 14th home run and, added to a second-inning double, completed a game that reflected Davis’ pre-1991 style--great defense and power at the plate.

“I think I can recoup the stroke I had before and I have made great strides,” said Davis, who batted .375 on this trip (six for 15) and has 13 runs batted in during his last 19 games. “I had surgery (in three places) last year and anytime you have that, your body needs time to heal. But I feel good. I’m running well (31 stolen bases) and playing defense well. . . . Barring a strike, I could have 70 RBIs and 20 home runs this season.”

Davis, who was hitting .218 on June 1, is batting .233 with 53 RBIs in 105 games, the most games he has played in since 1990, when he played in 127. But the progress he has made may not be enough for the Dodgers to re-sign him when the season is over. “He’s made some good strides, is hitting with more power and is more selective and making contact more, and he’s doing a hell of a job defensively,” Manager Tom Lasorda said.

Jose Offerman scored the Dodgers’ other two runs, had two hits to raise his batting average to .275 and stole his 24th base of the season.

For Martinez, it was his best performance of the season, and the velocity of his fastball gave Lasorda visions of how hard Martinez threw when he won 37 games in the 1990-91 seasons. “When he keeps his rhythm and stays within himself and doesn’t overthrow, he keeps everybody off balance,” said pitching coach Ron Perranoski.

Martinez struggled last season before being put on the disabled list in September because of tennis elbow, ending the season 8-11.

“Who would have ever thought that game would be over in two hours on a getaway day,” Lasorda said. “(Ramon) was in control all the way.”