Dodgers finish off yet another sweep, this time of Marlins

Justin Turner drove in a pair of runs, Rich Hill struck out nine in another stingy performance, and the Dodgers held to beat the Marlins 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Marlins Park in Miami, completing yet another sweep by the Dodgers.

With their third straight series sweep, the Dodgers have won nine straight games. They also had a 10-game winning streak this season, making them the first Dodgers team with two separate win streaks of nine or more games since the 1955 Boys of Summer in Brooklyn.

The Dodgers have seven sweeps in their last 11 series, and have won 29 of their last 33 games.

Hill pitched scoreless ball through four innings, retiring 10 of his first 11 batters face. He ran into some trouble in the fifth inning with a double and two singles, including one ground ball from Ichiro Suzuki off Hill’s fit to score Miami’s only run.

Once cruising with a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead, Hill’s pitch count was rising and all of a sudden had the tying runs on base with the top of the Marlins lineup coming up. But he struck out Martin Prado and got Giancarlo Stanton to end the threat.

Hill had nine strikeouts and no walks for the second straight start, and in three July starts has allowed a total of two runs in 19 innings, with 29 strikeouts against just one walk.

Red alert

Turner homered in the first inning to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, then drove in the club’s second run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Turner also singled and walked, giving him a team-best 29 multi-hit games this season.

Turner is hitting .374/.469/.584 on the season. He leads the majors in batting average and on-base percentage, and with 287 plate appearances through Sunday is now one PA shy of showing up on most leaderboards.

The Dodgers hit six home runs in this weekend series while allowing none to the Marlins, and in July have out-homered their opponents 18-7.

Rally time

The Dodgers loaded the bases in the seventh and eighth innings but failed to score, and took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth. Brandon Morrow got the first two outs of the inning, but also left with Dee Gordon on second base. Kenley Jansen was summoned to try for his ninth extended save of the season.

Jansen in his first eight saves longer than one inning allowed just three hits and one walk in 11 total innings, with 15 strikeouts. He allowed no runs, and stranded all nine inherited runners.

That made the single by Christian Yelich memorable, as it scored Gordon to cut the Dodgers’ lead in half. Jansen struck out Justin Bour to end the inning without further damage, but with 14 pitches already tacked on the odometer.

Jansen showed no fatigue in the ninth inning, striking out two in a perfect frame to end the sweep. He needed just 12 pitches in the ninth, and 26 total.

Highlight reel

Kiké Hernandez nearly added to the Dodgers’ lead in the sixth inning, driving a ball literally over the left field wall. But his solo home run was not to be, as Marcell Ozuna climbed the wall, using it as a step of sorts to reach up and pluck the ball out of the air.

Old friend alert

Longtime Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis got the start for the Marlins in Sunday’s series finale. He doubled and scored in the fifth inning, then hit a ground rule double in the seventh.

Entering Sunday, Ellis had no doubles and one extra-base hit — a home run -- in 74 plate appearances this season.

Up next

The Dodgers are off Monday, then start a quick two-gamer against the White Sox in Chicago on Tuesday night. Clayton Kershaw starts the series opener on eight days rest thanks to the All-Star break, and right-hander Miguel Gonzalez starts for Chicago in the 5:10 p.m. game.

Sunday particulars

Home run: Justin Turner (11)

WP - Rich Hill (6-4): 5 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 9 strikeouts

LP - Chris O’Grady (1-1): 5 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts

Sv - Kenley Jansen (23): 1⅓ IP, 1 hit, 3 strikeouts