Outfielder Jerry Sands had a double and a sacrifice fly in his major league debut, and Ted Lilly pitched seven scoreless innings, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 4-2 win over the Atlanta Braves Monday night at Dodger Stadium. It was the second straight win for the Dodgers, in the opener of a four-game series with Atlanta. The Dodgers scored three runs in the first inning off Tim Hudson, and never looked back.
Sands hit an opposite field double in his first at-bat, a line drive down the right field line off Hudson. Then, in the third inning, Sands hit another ball to right field, a sacrifice fly to score Juan Uribe from third base. Uribe and James Loney, hitting a combined .152/.200/.214 coming into tonight, each had two hits.
The 4-0 lead held up because of Ted Lilly, who picked up his first win of the season by throwing seven scoreless innings. Lilly allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out six Braves. Jonathan Broxton allowed three hits and two runs in the ninth inning, but held on to strikeout two and preserve the win. It was not a save situation for Broxton.
Hiroki Kuroda starts for the Dodgers on Tuesday night, with Brandon Beachy getting the call for the Braves. Sands is expected to see most of his playing time in left field, and he may also start at first base when the Dodgers face a left-handed pitcher, with Loney sitting and Marcus Thames playing left field.
For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on tonight's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.