5/20: Unlikely contributors fuel Dodgers' third straight win

With Manny Ramirez sidelined, the Dodgers have had to rely on unlikely heroes in their mission to stay atop the NL West. And every day, it seems that a new one emerges.

Brent Leach worked out of an eighth-inning jam to record his first major league victory on Wednesday as the Dodgers beat the Mets 2-1 to complete a three-game sweep at home. The Dodgers have now begun the 2009 season with a 17-3 record at Chavez Ravine, tying the all-time record for best home mark to start the season with the 1998 Yankees.

With the game tied 1-1 entering the eighth, Ronald Belisario came in and immediately walked Luis Castillo and Carlos Beltran. David Wright then flew out to deep center, advancing the runners to second and third. Leach (1-0) then came in to face the lefthanded David Murphy, and got him to ground out with the infield drawn in. The Dodger rookie then induced an inning-ending groundout from pinch hitter Fernando Tatis to preserve the tie.

In the bottom of the eighth, another unlikely hero stepped up for the Dodgers.

After Rafael Furcal struck out to lead off the inning, Orlando Hudson singled and Andre Ethier walked to bring up Russell Martin, who had gone 0-for-10 in the series to that point. Martin picked a perfect time for his first hit, as he grounded a single to left off J.J. Putz (1-3) that scored Hudson with the go-ahead run.

The Mets got a runner in scoring position against Jonathon Broxton in the ninth, as Angel Pagan singled with one out and stole second, but Broxton got Ramon Martinez to ground out to end the game. The Dodger closer earned his 11th save in 13 chances.

Martinez had entered the game in the bottom of the third, taking over for Jose Reyes. In the top of the inning, Reyes had strained his hamstring running out a grounder and had to leave. He is listed as day-to-day.

Continuing a trend, the Dodgers struck first in the game, scoring their major-league-leading 44th first-inning run to take an early lead. Juan Pierre and Rafael Furcal led with singles off Met starter Livan Hernandez, and after an Orlando Hudson groundout moved both runners up, Andre Ethier hit a sacrifice fly to give LA a 1-0 lead. That was the highlight of Ethier's day, though, as he went 0-for-2 to finish off a hitless series.

The Mets tied the game in the third off Dodger starter Jeff Weaver, as Luis Castillo stroked a one-out single and came around on an RBI double by Carlos Beltran. The Mets then had a golden opportunity to take the lead when Weaver walked Wright to put runners on first and second with one out, but David Murphy grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Weaver, who didn't even join the Dodgers until April 30th, continued his resurgence, going five innings and allowing just one run to lower his ERA to 3.00. Weaver had been demoted to the bullpen on Saturday when Los Angeles called up Eric Milton from AAA, but got the start on Wednesday when Eric Stults was scratched due to a thumb injury. He will go back to the bullpen when Stults returns to the rotation on Monday.

It's been rumored among the Mets' brass that Livan Hernandez could also be a candidate for a bullpen demotion, but his start against the Dodgers may have ended those talks. Hernandez went seven innings and allowed just a run on seven hits and a walk while throwing 93 pitches. However, he could only earn a no-decision for his effort. Hernandez dropped his ERA to 4.93 on the season.

The Dodger victory, coupled with the Giants' 2-1 loss to San Diego, pushed their lead in the West to 8 1/2 games. The Mets' deficit in the NL East stayed at one game, as Philadelphia lost to Cincinnati 5-1.

Both teams are off Thursday, with the Dodgers then hosting the Angels over the weekend and the Mets traveling to Boston to play the Red Sox.

Game notes: Juan Pierre kept up his torrid hitting pace with two hits in four atbats, to keep his season average at .405. He's 23 for 53 (.434) since Manny Ramirez was suspended on May 7...Ramon Martinez went 0-for-3 after taking over for Jose Reyes and is still looking for his first hit of 2009 (he's 0 for 12)...David Wright went 4 for 7 in the series against the Dodgers, continuing his hot streak against them...Dodger pitcher Randy Wolf pinch-hit for Jeff Weaver in the bottom of the fifth inning, his second pinch-hitting appearance of the season. He grounded out.