It was the Andre Ethier Show on Sunday in Dodger Stadium.
Ethier hit two home runs, his third straight game with a homer. Combined with eight strong innings from Hiroki Kuroda, and the Dodgers had more than enough to beat the Pirates, 9-3. The Dodgers took the final three games after dropping the first one on Thursday.
The Dodgers got things going in the second, starting with Matt Kemp's walk. James Loney laced a double to the gap in right center, and Kemp came all the way around to score and go up 1-0. After Loney advanced to third on Ronnie Belliard's groundout, Blake DeWitt began his four-hit day with an RBI double, putting the score at 2-0.
Ethier's first contribution to the day was in the third. Xavier Paul hit leadoff and again impressed, hitting a triple. An out later, Ethier's RBI single made it 3-0. The Pirates got one back on Andy LaRoche's RBI groundout in the fourth.
The fifth is when the Dodgers put the game out of reach. Paul again started a rally, singling to lead off. Ethier then stepped in with one out and hit another homer. Loney's RBI single made it 6-1, and the Dodgers never looked back.
DeWitt had his best day of the year as well. He hit a two-run double with two down in the seventh. His 4-for-4 effort pulled his average from .250 to .297 all in one day. I'd say that's a pretty good improvement.
Ethier's second home run of the day rounded out the scoring for the Dodgers. This was an absolute blast off of Joel Hanrahan in the eighth. It was quite an impressive line for Ethier: 3-for-5, two runs, four RBIs. He's got the third spot in the order on lockdown.
Had Ethier not gone crazy at the plate, then the story of the day would have been Kuroda. It was another stellar performance from him, as he went eight innings for five hits, one run, one walk, and five strikeouts. Once again, the key was his ability to throw strikes at any point. That's something Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are still working on.
The defensive play of the year for the Dodgers was also made in this game. With Andy LaRoche on first with one out in the seventh, Bobby Crosby lifted a soft fly ball to left. Ronnie Belliard, starting at third for Casey Blake, made a great over-the-head catch. He then threw all the way to first to double up LaRoche, with a stretching Loney getting the call. Fantastic play.
The only downside to the game was George Sherrill's atrocious work in the ninth. Asked to get the final three outs when up 9-1, Sherrill instead gave up two runs on a single, two doubles, and a walk. You would've thought it was Russ Ortiz out there in mop-up duty. Ronald Belisario had to get the final out, a flyout from Jeff Clement.
The Dodgers are still three games under .500 at 11-14, but this was a good series for them. Granted, the Pirates are still one of the worst teams in the league, but with the way the Dodgers played on the road, they'll take any win they can get. After getting shutout on Thursday, the Dodgers won the last three by a combined score of 20-6.
Monday is an off day, then the Brewers come in for three. Rafael Furcal should be making his return, which is a welcome sight over Jamey Carroll. Nothing against Carroll, but Raffy makes so many things happen when he's right. Clayton Kershaw goes in the first game.
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