Dodgers Complete Sweep Of Mariners With 5-2 Win
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Brett Anderson posted his first victory with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Scott Van Slyke hit a two-run double and the two-time defending NL West champions completed a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners with a 5-2 victory Wednesday night.
Anderson (1-0) allowed two runs -- one earned -- and six hits over five innings and struck out three in the annual Civil Rights Game, which included a pregame ceremony celebrating the 68th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's major league debut.
Pedro Baez, one of several relievers manager Don Mattingly is leaning on in the absence of injured closer Kenley Jansen, pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings and J.P. Howell got two outs for his first save since June 12, 2011, with Tampa Bay.
Taijuan Walker (0-1) gave up five runs, six hits and four walks in four innings.
Seattle's Nelson Cruz extended his home run streak to a career-best five straight games. The three-time All-Star led the majors last season with nine interleague home runs, and he had four in this series. Cruz signed a four-year, $47 million, contract with the Mariners in December after hitting a career-high 40 homers for Baltimore.
The Dodgers, coming off back-to-back walkoff victories against Seattle in the first interleague series of the season for both clubs, did all of their scoring in the first three innings. They grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first on a two-out RBI single by Andre Ethier and Van Slyke's double to left field.
Adrian Gonzalez hit an RBI single off the glove of first baseman Logan Morrison in the second, and Joc Pederson added a run-scoring single in the third. He added a double in the sixth for his 19th hit in the team's first nine games.
The Mariners got on the board in the fourth when Cruz homered to right-center. They got another run in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Kyle Seager with the bases loaded, and were threatening for more when Robinson Cano ran himself into a costly out.
Paco Rodriguez had just walked Morrison when Cano inexplicably kept creeping down the third base line, trying to get catcher Yasmani Grandal napping. But Rodriguez frantically motioned and yelled to his batterymate, who reacted quickly and ran Cano back to third before Juan Uribe tagged him for the second out.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mariners: Felix Hernandez, whose second start of the season on Sunday at Oakland ended after five innings because of tightness in his right quadriceps, threw a side session Wednesday on flat ground and did not experience any setbacks. So, the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner is a go to start on Saturday against Texas at Safeco Field. "My conversation with Felix is he's fine," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He's ready to go."
Dodgers: RF Yasiel Puig sat out his second straight game due to tightness in his left hamstring. "As of right now, I feel like he's going to be ready to play Friday," Mattingly said. ... LF Carl Crawford didn't start because of an injured left foot, which occurred on Tuesday night when scrambled back to second base after making a wide turn on a single. He pinch-hit in the seventh and struck out.
UP NEXT
Mariners: LHP J.A. Happ (0-0) will start against the Texas Rangers on Friday night against RHP Yovani Gallardo in the opener of a nine-game homestand.
Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (0-1) will start the opener of a three-game set against Colorado at Chavez Ravine on Friday against RHP Kyle Kendrick.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
