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 Left fielder Scott Van Slyke drove in two runs, and the Dodgers
capped their sweep of the Mariners with a 5-2 victory in the Civil
Rights Game at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night.
"It's awesome. That's what it's about, winning ball games," said
Pederson, who went 1-for-1 with three walks, about sweeping the
Mariners. "We've been playing great team baseball, and the momentum
we have is awesome."
The game is held annually as a tribute to Robinson, who broke the
color barrier 68 years ago as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Players, managers and coaches from both clubs again wore his No. 42.
And, Robinson's widow, Rachel, and commissioner Rob Manfred were
among the celebrities and Hall of Famers participating in ceremonies
before the contest.
Brett Anderson (1-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits with
three strikeouts and a walk in five-plus innings as the Dodgers
(6-3) won their fourth in a row. Reliever J.P. Howell earned the
save, his first this season.
"Early on, fastball, breaking balls and I was able to keep them off
balance," said Anderson, who improved to 8-4 with a 1.81 ERA in 16
career games (15 starts) against Seattle. "Got a little shaky in the
fifth and sixth innings, but I can't give enough credit to our
defense."
He also got a lift from the Dodgers bullpen. Relievers Paco
Rodriguez, Chris Hatcher and Pedro Baez combined to throw 3 1/3
scoreless innings before Howell closed it by getting the final two
outs.
Los Angeles first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, right fielder Andre
Ethier and Pederson each drove in a run. Pederson also robbed
catcher Mike Zunino of extra bases with a diving catch in the second
inning.
Seattle right fielder Nelson Cruz homered for the fifth straight
game, but the Mariners (3-6) lost their third straight.
The Dodgers jumped on Walker (0-2), tagging him for five runs on six
hits in four innings. Walker walked four and struck out three.
"He's got to control the strike zone a little better," Seattle
manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I'm not going to pick on that kid,
but if you ask me if I'm concerned with our starting pitching, yes,
we've got to get better. We've got to get deeper into ball games.
We've got a real good bullpen, but they won't be worth a darn if we
keep running them out there."
The Dodgers stung Walker for three runs in the first. A run-scoring
single by Ethier plated catcher Yasmani Grandal and a two-run double
by Van Slyke brought home second baseman Howie Kendrick and Ethier
for a 3-0 Los Angeles lead.
Gonzalez, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games dating to last
season, made it 4-0 with an RBI single to score shortstop Jimmy
Rollins in the second.
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Pederson drove in Ethier with a hit for a 5-0 cushion in the third.
Cruz hit a solo shot to right in the fourth to put Seattle on the
board.
Seattle missed an opportunity to rally in the sixth inning from a
three-run deficit. An RBI groundout by Mariners third baseman Kyle
Seager with the bases loaded cut the margin to 5-2. However, second
baseman Robinson Cano, apparently believing the next batter, first
baseman Logan Morrison, drew a bases-loaded walk, started jogging
leisurely toward home. By the time he realized his mistake, Cano was
tagged out by third baseman Juan Uribe. Zunino followed with an
inning-ending fielder's choice.
"He thought the bases were loaded," McClendon said.
Gonzalez, who went 2-for-5, recorded his 19th hit of the season,
becoming the first Dodger to do so in the team's first nine games.
NOTES: A crowd of 51,287 attended Wednesday's game. ... Dodgers RF
Yasiel Puig didn't play for the second consecutive game to rest a
tight left hamstring. Puig will get an extra day to recover since
the Dodgers are off Thursday before opening a three-game home series
against the Colorado Rockies on Friday. ... The Dodgers recalled RHP
Carlos Frias from Triple-A Oklahoma City, claimed LHP Ryan Dennick
from the Cincinnati Reds and designated LHP David Huff for
assignment. Dennick was optioned to Double-A Tulsa. Huff made his
season debut Tuesday, starting against Seattle and allowing four
runs in four innings. ... The two clubs entered the game tied with
the Baltimore Orioles for the major league lead in home runs with 13
each. ... The Mariners host the Texas Rangers in a three-game set
beginning Friday.
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