Dodgers can’t break even

Rafael Furcal was in the Dodgers’ clubhouse, saying he was certain he would return from back surgery and play again this season.

The star shortstop of the visiting team was on the field and playing, the presence of Hanley Ramirez being the obvious difference in the Florida Marlins’ 5-4, 11-inning victory over the Dodgers on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

Ramirez had a career-high five hits in six at-bats for the Marlins, the last of them a towering shot off reliever Brian Falkenborg in the 11th that cleared the wall in right-center to end a 4-4 stalemate.

Ramirez’s 23rd home run prevented the Dodgers from keeping pace with Arizona atop the NL West. And as the countdown for Furcal’s return continued -- the Dodgers’ leading hitter, who last played on May 5, provided a timeline suggesting he could be back by late August -- his team’s climb back to .500 was further prolonged. With a victory, the Dodgers would’ve had as many wins as losses for the first time since May 30, when they were 27-27.

“To not get to the .500 mark, that’s frustrating for me,” Manager Joe Torre said.

Thursday night, the Dodgers (45-47) could at least console themselves by noting the positive developments of recent weeks. They had won 14 of their last 23 games and their last four series. With their four runs on Thursday, the Dodgers increased their run total in July to 45, already more than half of their tally of 84 in June.

“I don’t need to be in first place at the All-Star break,” Torre said of the midseason intermission that is only three games away. “I’d rather be in first place at the end of the season. That seems more important.”

Perhaps most impressive was that the Dodgers had a chance to win despite not getting the kind of starting pitching that has been the trademark of their gradual ascent to respectability.

Chan Ho Park lasted only four innings, delivering 88 pitches and surrendering three runs (two earned) and nine hits, but Russell Martin hit a solo home run in the sixth inning to tie the score at 4-4 and Hong-Chih Kuo, Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito combined to pitch six scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Park, who entered the game with a 1.29 earned-run average as a starter, ran into trouble immediately. He gave up a leadoff infield single to Ramirez and let him reach second on a balk. Ramirez was singled in by Jorge Cantu, who took an extra base when center fielder Matt Kemp missed the ball when reaching down to field it. Cantu doubled the Marlins’ lead to 2-0, scoring when Josh Willingham doubled over the head of Kemp.

The Marlins increased the margin to 3-0 when Josh Baker, who was called up from triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, hit his first career home run, a solo shot to right.

The Dodgers staged a three-run rally in the third to pull even at 3-3.

Angel Berroa singled and was bunted over to second by Park, setting the stage for a two-out single by Kemp that drove him in. Kemp stole his 20th base of the season with Andre Ethier at the plate, and scored on a single by Ethier. Ethier also stole second and scored on a hit by Martin to tie the score.

The Marlins broke the tie in the fourth when Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson singled in Baker to make it 4-3.

For Johnson, the game was his first in the major leagues this season, as he was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list Thursday. Johnson was limited to four starts last year because of arm problems and had his season cut short when he underwent Tommy John surgery in August.

Johnson gave up three runs and six hits in five innings but didn’t figure in the decision, as reliever Ryan Tucker served up a solo home run to Martin that tied it at 4-4.

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com