The Los Angeles Dodgers’ second Cactus League game of the year saw Andre Ethier, Rich Hill and Chase Utley, among others, make their respective spring debuts. But ultimately the Dodgers needed Cody Bellinger and Alex Verdugo to top the Milwaukee Brewers at Maryvale Baseball Park.
WATCH: Cody Bellinger hits home run out of stadium
Ethier, identified by manager Dave Roberts as a candidate to bat leadoff during the regular season, did just that on Sunday. Ethier opened the game with a base hit to left field, beating the shift.
He was then caught stealing second base, and though it resulted in an out, Ethier moved well on the fractured right tibia that he recently said is fully healed. Wily Peralta walked Justin Turner but the inning came to an end by striking out Chase Utley in the start of a double play. Hill struggled with his command early and walked Jonathan Villar on five pitches.
Hill picked off Villar then proceeded to retire the next two batters faced. Peralta induced Austin Barnes into an inning-ending double play after walking Kiké Hernandez in the second. Hill’s potent curveball kept the Brewers off balance in the bottom half of the inning.
His day of work finished after two scoreless innings, with one walk and two strikeouts. The Dodgers loaded the bases on Jorge Lopez with nobody out in the third inning behind a pair of base hits and a throwing error on Lopez.
Justin Turner’s two-run single to right field gave the Dodgers an early lead. After fighting off the sun to make a catch earlier in the inning, Ryan Cordell lost another fly ball in the sun, and Utley’s two-run, sun double extended the Dodgers’ lead to 4-0.
Chris Hatcher’s spring debut got off to a rough start as his first pitch in the third inning hit Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Cordell atoned in some regard for his trouble by lining a two-run homer over the left-field fence. Hatcher settled in and retired the next three batters faced, ending the inning with a strikeout.
Utley’s infield single and Van Slyke’s two-run base hit put the Dodgers ahead of the Brewers, 7-2, in the fourth. Utley and Van Slyke to that point combined for five RBI on the afternoon. Brandon Morrow allowed Milwaukee to climb back into the game in the bottom half of the inning, giving up a pair of RBI doubles and an RBI single.
Ross Stripling, another making his spring debut, was next to encounter trouble. He issued a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth and the Brewers went on to tag Stripling for two runs to tie the game.
Trevor Oaks was hurt by a Henry Ramos error in right field as he overran the ball on a base hit with a runner already on. Ramos did recover in time to fire a strike to home plate, though Jack Murphy’s outstretched arm was short on the tag attempt. Rob Segedin forced another tie in the seventh by clubbing a booming solo home run to center field.
Cody Bellinger followed suit the following inning, sending a solo shot that cleared the berm in right field and bounced out of the Maryvale stadium. Andrew Barbosa served up another homer, with Alex Verdugo finding the berm in right field to give the Dodgers a 10-8 lead.
Ralston Cash and Shea Spizbarth combined for two scoreless innings to close out the victory, and Los Angeles remained perfect through two games of their 2017 Cactus League schedule.
