Ramirez Drives In 4 With 2 Homers To Lead Dodgers Past Braves
ATLANTA (AP) Hanley Ramirez drove in four runs with two homers, including the first of three straight shots by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning Saturday night during a 6-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.
A crowd of 42,219 attended Major League Baseball's sixth Civil Rights Game. Commissioner Bud Selig sat with Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier for players, and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who broke the color barrier for managers.
Ramirez, James Loney and Luis Cruz hit consecutive homers in a span of four pitches from Ben Sheets. Ramirez added a three-run homer in the sixth.
The four homers were the Dodgers' only hits.
Atlanta, which had its four-game winning streak stopped, had five hits - all for extra bases. Martin Prado doubled and then homered off closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth.
The Dodgers were without manager Don Mattingly, whose two-game suspension was announced before the game. He also was given an undisclosed fine "for excessive arguing" with plate umpire Angel Campos in Thursday's 10-6 loss in Pittsburgh. Bench coach Trey Hillman filled in for Mattingly.
Aaron Harang (9-7) pitched around five walks. He gave up one run on four hits with eight strikeouts in 6 2-3 innings. Sheets (4-3) lasted six innings.
Sheets set a career high for homers allowed after giving up only two in his first six games. His ERA climbed from 2.13 to 3.07. His previous high for homers allowed in a game was three six times, most recently on May 2, 2010, with Oakland.
Dodgers reliever Javy Guerra walked two batters in the eighth and was pulled with a 2-0 count to David Ross. Shawn Tolleson retired Ross but loaded the bases by walking Paul Janish with two outs.
Jansen struck out pinch-hitter Juan Francisco to end the inning. Jansen gave up Prado's homer but had three strikeouts among his four outs for his 25th save.
Michael Bourn led off the first inning with a walk and scored on Prado's double.
Sheets recorded four straight outs before giving up a homer by Ramirez to center field. Loney took a ball before hitting a fly that barely cleared the right-field wall for his fourth homer. Cruz hit the next pitch into the left-field seats.
Sheets recovered to record 13 straight outs before giving up three more runs in the third. With two outs, Sheets walked Kemp and Andre Ethier to set up Ramirez's 18th home run.
Ramirez also had two homers for Miami on June 2 at Philadelphia. He has 13 career two-homer games.
NOTES: Selig said Jackie Robinson's courage provided "the most important and powerful moment in the history of baseball." Former Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe was honored before the game as the Beacon of Hope winner, in connection with the Civil Rights Game. Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights leader from Georgia, was honored as the Beacon of Life winner. Three founding members of Earth, Wind & Fire - Phillip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson - accepted the Beacon of Change award. ... The Dodgers hit three straight homers in a game for the first time since June 12, 2007, against the Mets. ... C Brian McCann did not start for the second straight day and revealed he has a cyst and a frayed labrum in his right shoulder. He says he can play through discomfort in the shoulder, and manager Fredi Gonzalez said McCann will start on Sunday. ... Braves LHP Mike Minor will face Dodgers RHP Chad Billingsley in Sunday's final game of the series.
