Spring Training Recap: McCarthy, Offense Solid In Win Vs Rangers
Half of the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the Texas Rangers Sunday afternoon at Camelback Ranch in their last split-squad action of the Spring. Brandon McCarthy made his fourth start of the spring. He was opposed by right-hander Nick Tepesch.
Leonys Martin hit a lead-off double to center to begin the game, followed by a walk to Shin-Soo Choo, but McCarthy was able to work around a couple of base runners to throw a scoreless inning. Tepesch retired the Dodgers in order in the bottom half of the first, striking out two.
McCarthy followed suit with a quick inning of his own in the second, getting two fly outs and a ground out.
The Rangers struck first in the top of the third. With on out Martin walked and stole second. Choo then singled to bring him home, followed by a double by Adrian Beltre to score Choo. With two outs Ryan Rua then hit an infield single to second that scored Beltre to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead midway through three.
The Dodgers answered back in the bottom half of the inning though. Buck Britton led off with a single to right to start the inning. Then with two outs the Dodger bats came alive. Five consecutive hits starting with a Jimmy Rollins ground-rule double, followed by RBI hits by Chris Heisey, Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick and Scott Van Slyke, and the Dodgers took a 5-3 lead after three.
After McCarthy retired the Rangers in order in the fourth, Carl Crawford singled and then stole second to start to bottom of the fourth. Britton then hit a two-run homer to right to give the Dodgers a 7-3 lead.
McCarthy gave up a two-out double to Beltre, but nothing else in the top of the fifth. Despite back-to-back singles by Kendrick and Van Slyke the Dodgers were unable to add to their lead in the bottom of the fifth.
CONTINUE READING: Would the offense put up more runs?
