Marlins Start 4 Game Dodgers Series With A Win
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LOS ANGELES (CBSMiami/SportsXchange) - Don Mattingly enjoyed a triumphant return to Dodger Stadium.
Giancarlo Stanton homered and the Miami Marlins earned a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.
Stanton went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs in the first game against Los Angeles for Mattingly, who left as the Dodgers' manager in a mutual parting during the offseason after five seasons at the helm, the last three resulting in National League West championships.
The Marlins hired Mattingly as their manager in November.
"It's good we finished off well in Frisco, so it's good to start this four-game series off right," said Stanton, referring to the team's Sunday win over the San Francisco Giants. "It's more to get a 'W' for us rather than just him, but it's all one in the same."
The Marlins broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning on a run-scoring triple by Derek Dietrich. The hit scored catcher J.T. Realmuto, who singled to lead off the inning.
Marlins lefty Wei-Yin Chen (1-1) allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 6 2/3 innings. He served up solo homers to Yasiel Puig and rookie Trayce Thompson.
"I thought he made a couple of mistakes," Mattingly said of Chen. "I think the ball with Yasiel, he tried to go in and it leaked out over the plate. (But) I thought he was pretty good tonight"
Closer A.J. Ramos walked a batter but struck out two and pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth save in as many opportunities. Ramos has limited opposing batters to two hits while striking out nine in seven scoreless innings this season.
Los Angeles starter Ross Stripling (0-1) gave up three runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. The Dodgers have scored just four runs in four starts for Stripling.
Stanton drove Stipling's first pitch of the fourth inning into the seats in left for a solo shot and a 1-0 Marlins lead. It was Stanton's fifth home run this season and his 11th career long ball against the Dodgers. Seven of those homers have come at Dodger Stadium for Stanton, a native of the Los Angeles area.
"I think that would get anyone amped up, (facing) the team you watched growing up," said Stanton, who also homered Sunday in San Francisco and carries a .322 batting average against the Dodgers. "It's always a good time coming here. I've been here a few more times than any other ballpark. Maybe this one and our home stadium is about the same. It's always fun."
In the bottom of the fourth, Puig smacked the first pitch -- an 84 mph slider -- from Chen for a home run to left to tie the score at 1. The homer was Puig's second of the season.
Two batters later, Thompson hit his first homer of the year into the left field bleachers for a 2-1 Los Angeles advantage.
Stanton's RBI double to right, scoring Christian Yelich, knotted the score at 2 with two outs in the fifth. Stanton's hit occurred after Yasmani Grandal, who was filling in for Adrian Gonzalez at first base, failed to get under a foul ball off the right fielder's bat.
"That is tough," Stripling said. "It's never what you want, to give a guy like him a second or third chance in one (at-bat), especially when I've already thrown the kitchen sink at him and he's seen everything I have and there's a runner in scoring position. I made a bad pitch after that, and even thinking in my head I need to make a perfect pitch here because he's seen everything I have, and it's a big situation. I still didn't get the cutter to the outside corner, and he was all over it."
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