Marlins Ready To Take Down Dodgers
MIAMI (AP) -- With their longest losing streak in five seasons in the past, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally have something positive to build upon.
Coming off their first victory in May, the Dodgers hope to begin a run in that positive direction Sunday against the visiting Miami Marlins.
Andre Ethier had four hits and Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched 6 2-3 solid innings as Los Angeles (14-21) snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 7-1 home win over Miami on Saturday. The Dodgers scored more than four runs once during their longest slide since August 2008 before breaking out Saturday to snap a five-game home losing streak.
"Every win is important and every win counts," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "And when you're in the midst of a losing streak, you definitely want to break it as soon as you can.
"Hopefully it's something we can build on."
Ethier, who had two doubles, was 4 for 23 (.174) with no extra-base hits in his previous six contests. This was the third time in five meetings versus Miami he's recorded a four-hit game. Ethier is a lifetime .403 hitter against the Marlins.
The Dodgers hope Chris Capuano (0-2, 10.38 ERA) has a better performance Sunday after he allowed six runs with two homers and six other hits in four innings of a 9-2 loss to Arizona on Monday. It was his first action since missing almost a month with a strained left calf.
"The training staff did a great job with my calf, getting it ready to play. So physically I felt great," said Capuano, who turns 35 in August. "Maybe I was pressing a little bit and missing a little bit with some pitches."
In losing both of his starts this season, the left-hander has yielded 11 runs and 13 hits in six innings.
Capuano is 5-5 with a 3.61 ERA in 14 starts against the Marlins (11-26). He gave up two hits and struck out 10 in eight innings of a 5-0 win at Miami on Aug. 12.
The Marlins' only win in the last five games was 5-4 on Friday at Dodger Stadium, and they've totaled two runs in the four defeats. Miguel Olivo homered in the seventh inning and Placido Polanco had two of the five hits Saturday for Miami, which has scored a major league-low 105 runs.
Polanco is 4 for 18 (.222) in the last five games.
Miami's Tom Koehler (0-0, 3.18) will make his first 2013 start and second of his career in place of the struggling Wade LeBlanc in the finale. The right-hander has given up all four of his runs this season over four innings of the last two appearances after throwing 7 1-3 scoreless frames in his first four.
"He's going to get an opportunity to go in and make a start, and we'll see how he does," manager Mike Redmond told the Marlins' official website.
Koehler, who began the season at Triple-A New Orleans, gave up three runs on two homers in five innings of a 4-2 loss to the New York Mets in his other career start Oct. 3.
He has never faced the Dodgers.
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