The Dodgers got contributions from old and new alike on Sunday to pull out a 5-3 win over the Marlins before 43,959 on Mothers Day at Dodger Stadium. The win gave the Dodgers two straight victories for the first time in 16 days, and their first series win in two weeks.
Something new came from Scott Van Slyke, who started in place of the ailing Adrian Gonzalez at first base. Van Slyke homered in the second for a 1-0 Dodgers lead, the delivered an RBI single in the seventh in a three-run inning that broke open a close game.
Something old came from Chris Capuano, who looked like the pitcher he was in the first half of 2012. Capuano pitched into the seventh and allowed just one run, and struck out seven. Capuano retired the leadoff batter in each of his seven innings, and the only run came on a home run by Justin Ruggiano, who was drafted by the Dodgers in 2004.
Capuano allowed a one-out double to Derek Dietrich in the seventh to end his day, but Kenley Jansen struck out Adeiny Hechavarria and Chris Coghlan to end the threat and keep the tying run at second base in a 2-1 game.
The Dodgers opened the seventh inning with three consecutive singles to turn a 2-1 lead into a 5-1 advantage, providing enough insurance for Brandon League, who allowed a pair of runs in the ninth, his third consecutive outing and sixth of his last seven in which he allowed at least a run.
Notes
- Jansen struck out four of the five batters he faced on Sunday, and has struck out 12 of his last 18 batters faced.
- Jansen also batted in the seventh inning, his third career plate appearance. However, Jansen grounded out to lower his career on-base percentage to .667.
- Carl Crawford had two hits and a walk for his team best ninth game reaching base three times or more this season.
- Matt Kemp, in addition to getting his 1,000th career hit, extended his hitting streak to 11 games, during which he is hitting.326 (15-for-46).
- Juan Uribe didn't start but did deliver a hit-and-run single in the three-run seventh inning and walked in the eighth. Uribe has four hits in his last four at-bats, with three walks and a sacrifice fly during that span. His on-base percentage is .420.
Up Next
The Dodgers go from facing the worst team in the National League to facing one of the best as the Nationals come to town for three games. Josh Beckett gets the call for the Dodgers in Monday night's opener, facing off against Jordan Zimmermann.
Sunday's particulars
Home runs: Scott Van Slyke (1); Justin Ruggiano (7)
WP - Chris Capuano (1-2): 6⅓ IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
LP - Tom Koehler (0-1): 5 IP, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout