Brett Anderson Pitches Dodgers Past Slumping Marlins 7-1
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MIAMI (AP) — Brett Anderson tied a career high with 10 strikeouts and allowed only one fly ball in seven innings Friday night to help the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-1 victory over the Miami Marlins, who lost their fifth straight game.
Scott Van Slyke, filling in again for the injured Yasiel Puig, hit a two-run homer. Howie Kendrick tied a season high with four hits, and Jimmy Rollins had a two-run single.
Anderson (4-4) allowed the leadoff batter in the first inning to score but was otherwise unscathed. He had an RBI single, hiking his average this year to .100.
Two relievers completed a six-hitter. The Marlins' final 10 outs were strikeouts, and they struck out a season-high 16 times.
The Dodgers have won three consecutive games on their three-city trip to improve to 15-20 on the road. They have allowed only 10 runs in the past six games.
Marlins manager Dan Jennings called a team meeting before the game to give his players a pep talk, but they again showed little pep, falling a season-worst 15 games under .500 (30-45). They have lost eight of their past nine games, and during that stretch they are batting .201 and have scored 18 runs.
Miami's Dee Gordon, who leads the major leagues in hits, had three singles against his former team. But the Marlins went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, and they are batting .105 in those situations in the past nine games.
Odds of an offensive breakout this weekend are not good, with Miami facing Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the next two games.
Anderson, whose groundball percentage is the highest in the majors, didn't allow a fly ball until the sixth inning, and the left-hander helped himself in the third inning by picking two runners off first base. J.T. Realmuto and Gordon were both out 1-3-6 after reaching on singles.
Miami rookie Justin Nicolino (1-1) flopped in the follow-up to his impressive major-league debut, when he pitched seven shutout innings to beat the Reds. The left-hander allowed five runs in four innings and departed after throwing only 62 pitches.
The Marlins' Jarred Cosart, recovered from a bout with a vertigo, allowed two runs in four innings in his first outing since May 13, and his first career relief appearance.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: Before the game, the Dodgers reinstated RHP Pedro Baez (right pectoral strain) from the DL and optioned LHP Ian Thomas to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Baez struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth. ... LHP Paco Rodriguez (elbow) is expected to come off the DL on Monday. ... Puig was out of the starting lineup for the third straight game because of an open callus on his left hand. He pinch-hit in the eighth and grounded out.
UP NEXT
Kershaw (5-5, 3.33) is scheduled to start Saturday against RHP Tom Koehler (5-4, 3.76).
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