Dodgers outlast Arizona in 8-6 slugfest

Arizona was happy to see Adrian Gonzalez leave Phoenix this afternoon.

The Dodger first baseman hit a three-run homer, his fourth game in row going yard, to cap a three-game series that saw him drive in 10 runs as Los Angeles posted a three-game sweep.

Gonzalez has hit in nine straight games this season and 10 of his total of 14 hits have gone for extra bases. He has had an extra base hit in eight straight games, one shy of the franchise record.

"You come to a park that's a good place to hit and it makes you a little more aggressive," said Gonzalez, who has 59 RBIs in 59 career games at Chase Field. "You feel better as a hitter."

Matt Kemp and Juan Uribe also went yard as the Dodgers plated eight runs on only seven hits.

While Gonzalez, Kemp and Uribe were flexing the muscle, Dee Gordon was flashing his speed on the base paths.

Gordon drew two of six Dodger walks and stole a career-high four bases, one without a pitch thrown when he took off while reliever Randall Delgado kicked at the rubber.

"I saw the pitcher wasn't paying attention, the fielders weren't paying attention," said Gordon. "I took off. I didn't want to freak out anybody. I tried to be sneaky about it."

Dan Haren (2-0) got the win despite being tagged for nine hits and giving up three runs. Paco Rodriguez, Jamey Wright, J.P. Howell, Chris Perez and Kenley Jansen pitched in relief. Howell, Perez and Jansen stopped the bleeding with no-hit pitching in the eighth and ninth innings.

The Dodgers are off Monday before traveling to San Francisco for a three-game set with the Giants. San Francisco took two of three on a recent road trip to L.A. At 9-4, the Dodgers hold a one-game lead in the NL West.

Uribe, Gonzalez give Greinke run support

When the Dodgers clinched the NL West a year ago they proved to be rude visitors to Arizona’s Chase Field.

Though being asked in advance to not leave the clubhouse after the game the Dodgers held an impromptu pool party in the Diamondbacks’ outfield swimming pool. Even Arizona’s U.S. senators weighed in about the Dodgers apparent lack of social graces.

Well, after winning two games in Australia to open the season the Dodgers ran their 2014 record to 4-0 over the Diamondbacks with an 8-5 win last night at Chase Field.

Juan Uribe hit an opposite field double in the second inning and Adrian Gonzalez went opposite field with a two-run homer in the third inning last night to pace the Los Angeles victory.

Zack Greinke (3-0) got the win, allowing eight hits and one run over 5.1 innings. Greinke is 10-1 over his last 14 starts dating back to last season. Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched a two-hitter over seven innings in LA’s 6-0 win on Friday night.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw threw a bullpen this week and is hoping to get off the DL in May. The Dodgers are being cautious in dealing with a strained back muscle that sidelined the Cy Young award winner.

Gonzalez also homered in Friday night's 6-0 win and has four on the season. He has an eight-game hitting streak and seven-game extra-base hitting streak. Two RBIs gave him a club-high 11 in 12 games. Uribe went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs.

Scott Van Slyke got the start in left against lefty Wade Miley and missed a homerun by two feet with a laser shot double. Yasiel Puig had a pair of hits and his second, a two-out single in the fourth, cashed in Justin Turner's leadoff double for a 5-0 lead.

Dodger relievers Paul Maholm and Brandon League were touched for four runs in the late innings as Arizona mounted a comeback.

The Dodgers send Dan Haren to the bump today seeking a series sweep over the Diamondbacks.

Adrian Gonzalez: Living a SoCal Walter Mitty life

For all of us who played Little League, Senior League and high school baseball in Southern California, Adrian Gonzalez is living the Walter Mitty life we always dreamed about.

Gonzalez was born in San Diego, moved to Tijuana, Mexico at the age of one and returned to San Diego when he was 13.

His older brother Edgar made the big leagues and even played alongside Gonzalez for the Padres. His father David played amateur ball in Mexico and was a first baseman on the Mexican national team.

Gonzalez batted .566 as a junior and hit .645 with 13 homers as a senior at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista. He was named the CIF Player of the Year and San Diego Union-Tribune Player of the Year as a senior in 2000.

He is a career .294 hitter in his 10 major league seasons with 235 home runs. Has been selected to four All-Star teams (2008-11), earned three Rawlings Gold Glove Awards at first base (2008, 2009 and 2011) and took home a Silver Slugger Award in 2011 with Boston.

He drove in at least 100 RBI six times in the last seven seasons, one of only three major leaguers to do so, joining Miguel Cabrera (7) and Prince Fielder (6).

In 2012 Gonzalez helped renovate a Little League field in Tijuana and continues to financially support two baseball fields at Campo Adrian Gonzalez en la Liga Municipal de Tijuana.

Baseball was woven deep into the tapestry of my life as well. Two older brothers, Danny and Mike, were mainstays at Laguna Park (now Ruben Salazar Park) in East Los Angeles before we moved to Bell Gardens when I was seven years old. I was a batboy before a player and have loved the game as long I can remember.

I remember Danny hitting a grand slam against a Mexican all-star team and my father standing in the bleachers and proclaiming, “that’s my boy”.

Last night Adrian Gonzalez went yard and knocked in five runs, going 3-for-4 and pacing the Dodgers to a 6-0 win over Arizona in Phoenix.

I was soon transported back to fond memories of Laguna Park, the Little League field in Bell Gardens next to the oil tanks and the first time I walked up the stairs in the left field bleachers at Dodger Stadium to set my eyes on the greenest grass I had ever seen.

Go Adrian. Go Dodgers.

Gordon wins David v. Goliath matchup

Baseball is all about matchups.

Let’s take the first inning of last night’s Dodgers-Tigers thriller that LA took 3-2 in extra innings.

To start the game the Dodgers sent up fourth-year pro Dee Gordon, trying to win the regular job at second base. Gordon stands 5-11 and weighs 170, which has to include being fully dressed, soaking wet and wearing ankle weights. He is a wisp of man and probably worries about personal security during high winds.

Gordon looked out on the mound at Max Scherzer, 6-3 and 222 lbs. and the possessor of what major leaguers call serious heat. Scherzer hits the gun in the mid to upper 90s on a regular basis and went 21-3 last year with a 2.90 ERA. Numbers good enough to earn the AL Cy Young Award.

Gordon fell behind 1-2 then inexplicably drove a Sherzer fastball into the seats in right-centerfield. Gordon said after the game he “just got lucky” and was hoping for a triple. Gordon’s dinger was the fourth of his career. Not exactly power numbers.

Another matchup – LA’s Dan Haren against the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera, perhaps the most feared hitter in the game. Cabrera went yard 44 times last year, knocked in 137 RBI and hit .348. Haren was 10-14 with the Nationals last year with a bulging 4.67 ERA. Cabrera never got the ball out of the infield last night.

Haren didn't get the decision but did pitch six innings of three-hit ball in another strong mound performance.

In the end, Carl Crawford won the game with a double to left field that should have been at least knocked down by Detroit left fielder Rajai Davis who went for the catch, allowing the ball to bounce to the wall. Davis’ misplay allowed Chone Figgins to score from first base with the winning run.

Crawford’s game-winner bailed out closer Kenley Jansen, who blew a save in the bottom of the ninth, and Gordon, who failed to move Figgins to second on a pop-up bunt.

Kemp, Ramirez pace Dodger win over Giants

After getting pasted by San Francisco on Friday and Saturday, the Dodgers rebounded with a 6-2 win over the Giants tonight fueled by two-homer nights by Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez and a strong mound performance from Zack Greinke.

Greinke have up two solo dingers to the Giants but otherwise stymied San Francisco and prevented a three-game sweep.

Kemp looked fully recovered from shoulder and ankle surgeries in the off-season and if he returns to form the Dodgers offense could be deadly.

Ramirez, who is a free agent after this year, is swinging the bat with authority. Toss in Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, Juan Uribe and the fleet-footed Dee Gordon and Los Angeles should be fun to watch.

After a day off tomorrow the Dodgers host the Detroit Tigers in an interleague set Tuesday and Wednesday. The Dodgers will see AL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer on Tuesday. Scherzer is a hard-throwing righty who could give LA fits.

I have been accused (rightly so) of being an eternal optimist.

I saw some good things in the Dodgers 8-4 home opener loss to the dreaded Giants today.

Matt Kemp started in centerfield and hit the ball well, ran the bases like an antelope and looked ready for a new season.

Dee Gordon laid down a two-strike bunt and stole second before moving to third base on an errant throw by Buster Posey.

Andre Ethier and Adrian Gonzalez went yard.

Yasiel Puig was benched for being 45 minutes late to batting practice. (I think is a good thing.)

After Hyun-Jin Ryu imploded on a series of bloop hits and poor defense that led to eight runs in two innings, the Dodgers bullpen of Jose Dominguez, Brandon League, Chris Withrow and Jamey Wright tossed seven innings of no-hit ball.

That's my silver lining for today.

Where is Dr. McCoy when we need him?

Stan Conte, Nancy Patterson Flynn, Greg Harrel, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, Dr. John Plosay, Dr. Brian Shafer, Dr. Mary Gendy, Dr. Scott Takano.

For Dodger fans, the names are not exactly household familiar. They make up the medical team for the Dodgers and their work will pay off on the field.

If the Dodgers reach the promised land this year, it will have a lot to do with the success of this group, who are tasked with mending the team experts are picking to win the NL West again and go deep into the playoffs.

Here's a few of the cases the Dodger medical team is working on:

• Clayton Kershaw has a back muscle problem. We hope to see him on the mound in May. 
• Matt Kemp is due back in the lineup soon after off-season shoulder and ankle surgeries. 
• Hanley Ramirez missed much of last year with injuries suffered in the World Baseball Classic and his broken ribs sank the Dodgers in the playoffs.
• Brian Wilson, who got knocked around in relief against the Padres, has an elbow injury and is on the DL.
• Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley are trying to come back from arm injuries.

Now for some good news. Five games (4-1) into the season and the Dodger pitching has been lights out. Hyun-Jin Ryu has pitched well enough to be 2-0, Zack Greinke shut down the Padres and Dan Haren delivered a strong six innings as LA took two of three from San Diego.

Haren was hit hard by the Angels in an exhibition game but looked strong in winning his LA opener. The Dodgers take on the Giants this weekend in the opening series at Chavez Ravine. Ryu, former Pittsburgh and Atlanta southpaw Paul Maholm and Grienke will pitch against the Giants.

Offensively, the early hitters have been Dee Gordon, Juan Uribe and Carl Crawford, all hitting above .300. Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier and Yasiel Puig have yet to warm up. If Kemp is truly ready this weekend the firepower factor increases. Gordon is making an early case to be the starter at second base. When Gordon is hitting and on the basepaths he adds another dimension to the LA offense.