The Los Angeles Dodgers took advantage of a big second inning and a dominant outing by starter Chad Billingsley on Sunday to win the rubber match of their interleague series against the Seattle Mariners. The Dodgers secured the series win with the 8-2 victory.
Kyle Seager opened the scoring with a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, but the Dodgers quickly took over the game in the second.
After Bobby Abreu hit a double to pass Mickey Mantle on the all-time hits list, Tony Gwynn hit a two-out RBI single to drive him in and tie up the game. Dee Gordon then put the Dodgers ahead with an RBI single of his own and Gwynn should have been out at third, but the ball popped out of starting pitcher Blake Beavan's glove while applying the tag. Andre Ethier then launched a grand slam into the right-field bleachers for his 10th homer of the year, giving the Dodgers a 6-1 lead. The Dodgers scored all six of their second-inning runs with two outs.
The score remained 6-1 until the top of the eighth inning, when James Loney and Adam Kennedy both drove in runs with singles. Michael Saunders drove in the second Mariners run of the game with a double in the bottom of the ninth.
Billingsley went seven strong innings, giving up just Seager's home run and one other hit. He walked three and struck out eight. It was a dominant performance for Los Angeles on both sides of the ball, as Dodgers pitchers limited the Mariners to just four hits, while Jerry Hairston Jr. was the only starter to not record at least one hit. Hairston did manage to reach base by drawing a walk, however.
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