By Jon Weisman
Fernando Rodney, it would seem, is welcome at Dodger Stadium.
On August 9, 2013, Rodney was on the mound when the Dodgers completed a comeback from a 6-0 seventh-inning deficit, scoring four times in the ninth inning off the righty to top Andrew Friedman’s Tampa Bay Rays.
Tonight, the Dodgers completed their second consecutive walkoff comeback win and fourth comeback victory in eight games of the 2015 season, rallying past Rodney and the Seattle Mariners, 6-5.
It’s bizarre that the Dodgers have let opponents score in the first inning six times this season. It’s bizarre that the Dodgers have won four of those games.
If you ask me, it’s less about the oft-cited strength of character or grit, and more about the subtle relentlessness of the Dodger lineup, which has threats in every spot, especially off the bench.
Once more, the reserves kicked in. Alex Guerrero had a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the fourth. Andre Ethier homered (his first since June 29) in the sixth. And Justin Turner led off the ninth with a single, and though he was later eliminated between third and home on a fielder’s choice, his hit set up the final two runs, driven home by Howie Kendrick’s line single to right.
The first four batters in the Dodger lineup — Rollins, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Kendrick — each had two hits.
After David Huff allowed two homers and four runs in a four-inning spot start, Juan Nicasio walked three to enable Seattle to extend its lead by a run to 5-3 in the fifth, but after that, the Dodger bullpen shut the Mariners down, with Chris Hatcher and Yimi Garcia retiring the final seven batters. Garcia got the win for the second night in a row.