LOS ANGELES -- Like many times in the past, Giancarlo Stanton brought the power in his Southern California stompin' grounds to drive the Marlins to a 3-2 win on Monday at Dodger Stadium. The right fielder was 2-for-3 with an RBI double and home run.
Wei-Yin Chen picked up his first Marlins win with a strong 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with four strikeouts. His biggest trouble came on solo homers by Yasiel Puig and Trayce Thompson in the fourth inning. The Dodgers were prepared for the southpaw with a starting lineup completely devoid of left-handed hitters, but they couldn't make enough of a dent to get the win.
"We've been in a lot of close games where things haven't gone our way, or we haven't been able to hold the lead," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "We'd come back and just not be able to get over the hump. The last couple of days, we've been able to hold the lead. Our bullpen has done a nice job at the end of the game."
Three earned runs allowed by Dodgers rookie Ross Stripling was the highest mark of the right-hander's young career. He ran into the trouble in his third time through the Marlins' lineup, failing to get a strikeout and allowing hard contact all over the field. His ERA still stands at a respectable 3.22, but it was also raised for the third consecutive game since his seven no-hit innings in San Francisco on April 8 in his big league debut.
"They hit a lot of hard balls tonight. I think that showed that I wasn't as sharp as I typically am," Stripling said. "I really didn't throw any good curveballs on the night, as Stanton showed. I just battled. Last two starts, it feels like every inning has been a battle from the first pitch. I've been able to get out of some, others not so much."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Stanton stays hot in LA: New season, similar results for Stanton at Dodger Stadium. The three-time All-Star, and Sherman Oaks native, connected on his fifth homer of the season, and second in as many days. The slugger now has gone deep seven times in 16 games in Los Angeles. In 30 career games against the Dodgers, Stanton has 11 home runs.
"I've been here a few more times than every other ballpark," Stanton said. "Maybe this one and our home stadium is about the same. It's always fun." More >

A-Gone, replacement falters:Adrian Gonzalez got his first day off of the season and was replaced at first base by catcher Yasmani Grandal. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, it cost them in the fifth inning, when Grandal lost a catchable popup from Stanton in foul territory. One pitch later, Stanton made the Dodgers pay by lacing an RBI double to the right-field wall and tying the game, 2-2.
"I'm not saying it's an easy play; it's still a tough play," manager Dave Roberts said. "Adrian makes plays like that look very easy, but he's a Gold Glove first baseman. Yeah, if [Grandal] makes that play, Stanton doesn't beat us, but that's part of the game."

Barraclough bails out 7th: Chen threw perhaps his best game as a Marlin, and he nearly made it entirely through the seventh. But a two-out error by left fielder Christian Yelich on Corey Seager's flare to short left field extended the inning. With runners on first and second, Kyle Barraclough relieved Chen, who exited after 96 pitches. With the count full to pinch-hitter Chase Utley, Barraclough caught the veteran looking on a 97-mph fastball that painted the inside corner, preserving a 3-2 Miami lead.
"They run some guys in off the bench at you," Mattingly said. "So when you get to that situation, you know it's a left-hander. But our back-end guys are righties. You've got to kind of go with it. That was obviously a big out right there."

Two-way Thompson: Thompson had one of his best days as a Dodger, with highlights on both side of the ball. He gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning with a rocket to the left-field bleachers that Statcast™ projected to travel 402 feet. Two innings later, he showed off his athleticism with a diving catch in center field, despite initially misjudging the ball.
"I've done a poor job of that these first three weeks," Thompson said of hitting for power. "I feel like I'm a big a guy, I'm supposed to drive the ball, and that's what I've done my whole entire career. I've been working hard with [Dodgers coaches Tim Wallach] and [Turner Ward] and Manny Mota and everybody, even Dave." More >

QUOTABLE
"This team is close. It's only a matter of time before we start rolling. I really do feel that. I think if we continue to do things we're good at, limit the mistakes, and limit the big innings that we had when we lost. I think we'll be all right. I think it's going to be good. I think we're going to get on a roll and surprise some people." -- Marlins closer A.J. Ramos, after logging his fourth save, striking out two in the ninth

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Ramos has allowed just two hits and struck out nine in seven scoreless innings this year.
WHAT'S NEXT
Marlins:Tom Koehler, coming off a win over the Nationals at Marlins Park, makes his fourth career start on Tuesday at 10:10 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 4.30 ERA in Los Angeles.
Dodgers:Clayton Kershaw will take the mound for the Dodgers, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT. The southpaw has been his usual self in 2016, throwing 30 innings in four starts with a 1.50 ERA, .767 WHIP, and a strikeout rate of one per inning.
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