VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ Gary Sheffield hit two homers and Carlos Perez allowed no earned runs in five innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 5-3 on Sunday.

After injuring his little finger sliding into third base on March 17, Sheffield had planned to wait until the Dodgers' final exhibition series this weekend in Toronto before returning.

But the stitches came out, and he fixed the wound with super glue just in time to club a fourth-inning solo home run and a three-run home run to give the Dodgers the lead in the sixth.

``It was kind of sore,'' Sheffield said. ``But when you get in the game, you don't think about it.''

The win was the fourth in a row for the Dodgers as they improved to 9-16-1 in the spring.

Vladimir Nunez started for Florida and allowed three earned runs in five innings. Mike Lowell had three hits for Florida, including his third home run of the spring, and Luis Castillo singled twice.

The Marlins have now lost four games in a row, a streak that started with 16-0 and 19-0 losses.

Perez, who struggles early in the spring, made his second straight strong start. After allowing two runs in five innings last Wednesday, Perez limited the Marlins to four hits and one unearned run while striking out five.

``In every start, things get better,'' Perez said. ``The difference is I've been using my stuff. For the first two games, I was pitching fastball, fastball, fastball.''

Manager Davey Johnson wouldn't commit to whether Perez had earned a spot in the Dodgers' rotation.

``I'd have to he's come back from a little shaky start, and he's thrown the ball well for me,'' Johnson said. ``I thought his mechanics were good. He made some good pitches. He used his fastball well. He kept us in the game.''

Devon White his team-leading fifth home run of the spring as he distanced himself from his competitor in center field, Todd Hollandsworth, who struck out as a pinch hitter.