Dodgers 2 - 3 Giants
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Dodgers honor Jackie Robinson in San Francisco opener

Apr 15, 2014 - 3:04 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to extend their best road start in 31 years on Tuesday night when they begin a three-game set against the rival San Francisco Giants on Jackie Robinson Day.

Tuesday marks the 67th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The Dodgers, like all Major League teams, will honor Robinson by wearing No. 42 jerseys, and Robinson's legacy will be celebrated with a number of events across baseball.

The Dodgers will try to honor Robinson with a victory tonight and bring a 7-1 road mark into the game. That is the best start for the franchise away from home since also going 7-1 in 1983.

Los Angeles finished off a three-game sweep of the hosting Arizona Diamondbacks with Sunday's 8-6 victory. Adrian Gonzalez continued his surge by homering in a fourth straight game, while Dee Gordon wrecked havoc on the base paths with four stolen bases.

Gordon also drew a pair of walks and scored a run.

"He's walking and he's getting his hits. That's what really changes the dynamic," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of Gordon, who is batting .400 on the season.

Gonzalez belted a three-run homer to extend his hitting streak to nine straight games. He has an extra-base hit in eight consecutive games, one shy of the franchise record set by Jack Fournier in 1925 and later matched in 1961 by John Roseboro.

Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford missed his second game in a row on Sunday due to tightness in his right side.

Crawford's status for this game is unknown along with reliever Brian Wilson, who is eligible to be activated from the disabled list. Wilson has been out due to nerve irritation in his right elbow and it is unknown if he will be activated and be available to face his former team tonight.

Josh Beckett will start for the Dodgers and made his season debut last Wednesday versus Detroit after missing the start of the campaign due to thumb and ankle ailments.

Beckett did not factor into a 7-6 extra-inning loss against the Tigers, lasting just four innings while getting charged with five runs (4 earned) on five hits and a walk.

The right-hander went 0-5 with a 5.19 earned run average in eight starts last year with the Dodgers before his season ended May 13. He later had a rib removed to alleviate a nerve problem and finger numbness.

Beckett, 33, is 4-5 with a 3.76 ERA in his career versus the Giants.

San Francisco begins the third and final leg of its nine-game homestand and is even on the residency after taking two of three from the Colorado Rockies. The Giants secured the series victory with Sunday's 5-4 victory in 10 innings.

Brandon Crawford hit a game-winning homer in the 10th frame for his second RBI of the contest. Pablo Sandoval also hit a solo homer and Angel Pagan knocked in two runs.

"This was a big game for us to be at home and get this series," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "We're showing already we're going to play a lot of tough ballgames. I thought that this was a big ballgame with L.A. coming in."

Bochy will hope that Tim Lincecum can get on track tonight after he struggled in his first two starts of the campaign, both against Arizona.

The 29-year-old righty got a no-decision in Arizona to begin the season after allowing four runs over six innings, then took a 7-3 loss at home on Wednesday. Lincecum yielded seven runs on seven hits over four innings of that setback.

"He was really off all night. It was pretty evident," said Bochy of Lincecum, who has allowed four homers and posted a 9.90 ERA on the season.

Lincecum was 2-1 with a 3.47 ERA in four starts versus the Dodgers a season ago.

The Giants won two of three in Los Angeles from April 4-6 and have won seven of the last nine encounters overall.






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