Dodgers stop eight-game skid
LOS ANGELES -- Every hit felt like catharsis, the anxiety and stress of the worst drought in five years washing away with each cheer, which grew louder and louder.
One win does not make up for eight losses, but for the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers, it was enough to thrill a crowd teetering on the edge.
A home run from little Dee Gordon helped, diving catches by corner outfielders Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier helped some more and a fine showing by Hyun-Jin Ryu helped the most as the Dodgers snapped their worst skid since 2008 with a 7-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
"It feels pretty good, honestly," Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly said. "It's been a little battle for us. We've got to get one, somehow, some way, and see where we can go with it."
Five of the Dodgers' eight loss were decided by a run, but they were not about to let chance take its turn again. Los Angeles (14-21) pounded a season-high 14 hits and afforded Ryu a three-run lead in the first two innings as he settled in to pick up his fourth win.
Ethier continued his strangehold over Miami with his first four-hit game since back-to-back big days against the Marlins in August 2012. He went 4 for 4 with three runs scored to lift his major-league -best batting average against Miami to above .400. He also had a beautiful diving catch in the eighth inning to match Crawford's flying snag in the seventh.
"You know what you're capable of doing," Ethier said about snapping out of his season-long funk. "You go out there, play your game, keep swinging, and hope your teammates pick you up."
Skip Schumaker, Adrian Gonzalez and Juan Uribe each added two hits for the Dodgers, and Schumaker had three RBIs.
It took 107 Ryu pitches for the Marlins (11-26) to manage any damage against the Dodgers.
Miguel Olivo pounced on a Ryu offering with no outs in the seventh, and Ryu exited with two outs and a runner on first after allowing five hits and one run with three strikeouts.
"Hyun-Jin was really good tonight again," Mattingly said. "He kind of set the tone and gave us a chance. And then we were able to put some runs on the board, and he kept throwing those zeroes.
"He had an inning where I think we got three, but he had guys on base and gets out without a run. It seemed like he just kind of kept them there."
Miami manager Mike Redmond said, "He looked good, threw strikes, mixed his speeds well, a little different look for us. He looked good out there, did a nice job."
Kevin Slowey took the loss for Miami after allowing 11 hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings as Los Angeles jumped out to a 5-0 lead on the strengths of its less-than-strengths.
Schumaker had a second-inning RBI single, a third-inning RBI groundout and a fifth-inning RBI single. Gordon added a third-inning solo home run and Uribe had an RBI sacrifice fly in the fifth.
"(Slowey) was battling from the start," Redmond said. "But he went out and continued to compete, tried to keep us in the game. He's done a great job for us, and today was a bump in the road. We, offensively, didn't really get anything going either."
Los Angeles, which already got some good news with the word that Zack Greinke felt fine after his first rehab start on Friday, now moves on with a little hop in its step after being mired in the muck.
"It starts today and we have to get back tomorrow and continue the way we played today," Ethier said. "That's definitely the way we're capable of playing, and it's been frustrating going through what we've been going through."
NOTES: Mattingly said Greinke would make his next start on Wednesday but was not sure at which level. Greinke made his first rehab start on Friday since suffering a broken clavicle during a confrontation at the mound with San Diego's Carlos Quentin on April 11. Greinke allowed eight runs (three earned) and six hits in 4 1/3 innings for the Class A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. ... The Marlins announced that pitcher Ricky Nolasco will start the team's series opener against Cincinnati on Tuesday, flipping with Alex Sanabia, who is now scheduled to start Wednesday. ... The Dodgers' last eight-game losing streak preceded an eight-game winning streak that helped them on their way to a division title. ... Ryu and Marlins starter Jose Fernandez, who beat the Dodgers on Friday, both rank in the top three in the major leagues for strikeouts by a rookie pitcher. ... Despite a 35-42 record in games played at Dodger Stadium, the Marlins are 13-9 in their last 22 games.
