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By Jon Weisman
The Dodgers had been playing one close game after another — seven straight decided by one run or not at all — until Matt Carson blew things open.
Carson helped lock up the Dodgers’ 7-2 victory over Cleveland today with an eighth-inning grand slam against his former team.
A 33-year-old outfielder from Yucaipa High School and Brigham Young, Carson has 187 career plate appearances in the big leagues with a .613 OPS. In his last stint, he had six singles, a home run and a hit-by-pitch in 13 plate appearances for the Indians, giving him a 1.601 OPS. Last year, he had a .759 OPS for Triple-A Columbus.
Carson hit his slam off 29-year-old Anthony Swarzak, who allowed 128 baserunners in 86 innings for Minnesota last year with 47 strikeouts.
Scott Van Slyke also homered today for the Dodgers, who had doubles from Jimmy Rollins and Justin Turner.
Brett Anderson pitched three shutout innings to open the game, preserving his 0.00 ERA. J.P. Howell, working his way back from a groin injury, added a shutout inning, while Mike Adams allowed two walks, a hit and a run while notching two outs in his first Cactus League appearance.
oldbrooklynfan
While Carson was batting (believe it or not) I was thinking, Imagine this guy hits a Grand Slam HR. I usually get these feelings when the opposing team is batting. It’s a nice feeling when it happens when the Dodgers are up. It’s unbelievable.