LOS ANGELES — Chad Billingsley struck out a career-high 13 without walking a batter and the Los Angeles Dodgers used a six-run first inning to beat the Florida Marlins 9-1 today, avoiding a four-game sweep.

Billingsley (9-8) allowed a run and five hits over seven innings. The right-hander, a first-round pick by the Dodgers in 2003, goes into the All-Star break with a 3.25 ERA and is 5-1 in his last six starts.

Billingsley gave up his only run on a first-inning RBI double by former Dodger Luis Gonzalez, then retired 15 of his next 16 batters — 10 of them on strikeouts. During one stretch, he fanned six in a row. The previous high by a Dodger this season was 12 — by Billingsley on April 24 against Arizona.

Hanley Ramirez, scheduled to start at shortstop in Tuesday's All-Star game, was held out of the Marlins' lineup by manager Fredi Gonzalez for precautionary reasons after leaving Saturday night's game with a sore right shoulder — although he was available to pinch-hit.

Dodgers closer Takashi Saito, whose ninth-inning stint on Saturday night was cut short because of tightness in his right elbow, will have an MRI on Monday.

"I think you've got to assume the worst," Manager Joe Torre said. "But with the All-Star break here, there's really no decision-making that has to be made immediately. So let's see what happens."

The Dodgers are 46-49 in their first season under Torre, compared to 49-40 at the break last season under Grady Little. They trail Arizona by one game in the NL West, and resume their schedule with a three-game series against the Diamondbacks at Phoenix.

The Marlins, who had won six of their previous seven games, come into the break with a 50-45 record — quite a turnaround for a club that finished the 2007 season 20 games under .500 and last in the NL East. They are 1½ games behind first-place Philadelphia.

Andrew Miller (5-9) lost his fourth straight decision, allowing seven runs, five hits and a season-high five walks in just 1 2-3 innings — the second-shortest of his 33 career starts. The 23-year-old right-hander lasted only two-thirds of an inning in his first big league start on Aug. 29, 2007 with Detroit.

Miller didn't retire a batter in the rematch until his 31st pitch.

The first six Dodgers all reached base and scored. Matt Kemp led off the inning with a single and scored when second baseman Dan Uggla lost Nomar Garciaparra's bases-loaded popup in the sun. Garciaparra was credited with a hit, and James Loney added a two-run single after a walk to Andruw Jones.

Garciaparra came home on a groundout by Andy LaRoche, and Loney scored the sixth run on a suicide-squeeze by Luis Maza.

Garciaparra made it 7-1 in the second with an RBI double. Miller faced two more batters and was lifted after walking Loney with his 59th pitch. His ERA increased from 5.09 to 5.63.

Kemp, 3-for-4 with a walk in his return to the leadoff spot, made it 9-1 in the fifth with a two-run single against former Dodger Mark Hendrickson.