On this Jackie Robinson day, I’ll look at the Dodgers’ series with the Mariners and the other inter-league action this week.

More after the jump.

Mariners@Dodgers – LA sweeps with a pair of walk-off wins

• In the opener, the Dodgers overcame an early 4-0 deficit to tie the game 5-5 after five. Then, no more scoring until the 10th when, after a leadoff double and a groundout that didn’t advance the runner, the Mariners intentionally walked Adrian Gonzalez to pitch to Howie Kendrick, only to unintentionally walk him. The winning run came with two outs off the bat of Alex Guerrero, but only after he had recoiled from a pitch way inside that came within a hair of hitting him (someone needs to talk to Alex about taking one for the team, especially when it means the winning run). Dodger starter Brandon McCarthy fanned 10 but allowed four jacks, only the fifth such searchable start of 7 innings or less and the first for the winning team.
• In game 2, the Mariners jumped on Dodger starter David Huff for three first inning runs and held the lead the rest of the way. Until the 9th inning, that is, when it all fell apart with three singles and a walk off Fernando Rodney, producing two Dodger runs and a second straight 6-5 walk-off win. Rodney was 48 for 51 in saves last year, and had a pair of 1-2-3 saves to start this season. But, he hasn’t been fooling anyone his last two outings with an, ahem, 40.5 ERA.
• In the finale, it was the Dodgers getting the early 3-0 jump off Taijuan Walker. LA was never headed after that in a 5-2 triumph.
• Nelson Cruz had four jacks in the 3 games, extending his homer streak to 5 games. The only such streak earlier in the season was by Sandy Alomar in 1997, starting in the Indians’ 3rd contest of the year.

Tigers@Pirates – Detroit win streak ends, but Tigers shutout Bucs twice to take series

• In the opener, Anibal Sanchez pitched 6 strong innings but not 7, allowing a leadoff homer after the stretch and then another three batters later as Pittsburgh extended a one-run lead to four. The Tigers rallied in the 9th for three of their own but could get no closer as the Pirates prevailed 5-4 for Detroit’s first loss.
• After scoring at least four runs in each of the first 7 games, Tiger bats cooled with only 3 total runs over the next two contests. But, Detroit’s pitching made those runs count, blanking the Pirates on 5 total hits. Starters Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon both went 8 innings and Joakim Soria did the rest with two 3-up, 3-down saves.
• Those two team shutouts were Detroit’s third and fourth of the young season, the most the Tigers have recorded in the first 10 games of any season. It’s also the Tigers’ first time in the first 10 games of the season recording two scoreless 8 inning starts allowing three hits or less, never mind two such starts consecutively.
• For the Pirates, those two shutout losses on 3 hits or less followed an earlier such blanking by the Brewers, the first time Pittsburgh has had 3 such games among its first 10. But it’s the 3rd time in 4 years the Pirates have had two such setbacks, after only one prior occurrence back in 1945.

Red Sox@Nationals – Boston takes two of three in high-scoring series

•  In the opener, Boston opened up an 8-0 lead after three and coasted to a 9-4 victory. Rick Porcello went 8 innings for the win, allowing only 4 hits, but 3 for extra bases. Perhaps (wisely?) pitching to the score, it’s Porcello’s second such start of 7+ innings, after doing the same last year in an 8-2 win over the Royals.
• In game 2, Boston got to Stephen Strasburg early as Washington’s ace had his first career start allowing 5 runs and 10 hits in less than 6 innings of work. But, the Nats rebounded with a 6-run 5th inning to chase Boston starter Justin Masterson. Alas, the lead wouldn’t hold as the Red Sox turned two Nats errors in the 7th into three unearned runs and an 8-7 win. Washington’s Blake Treinen will have better days; summoned in that 7th inning to relieve Matt Thornton after an error and HBP had put two Red Sox aboard with one out, Treinen plunked Allen Craig to load the bases but then induced Ryan Hanigan to hit a little comebacker, only to undo his good work by throwing the ball away in his haste to turn two.
• Washington salvaged the finale with a 6-run 3rd inning en route to a 10-5 romp. Wade Miley took the loss in his first career start allowing 7 runs in less than 3 innings of work.