As the ninth inning rolled around Friday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts surveyed the sort of scene which had avoided his team for the previous week. The Dodgers held a lead, which was nothing new. Except this time, in an 11-1 victory over the Mariners, the advantage was large enough that Roberts did not have to fret about his bullpen incinerating it.
After seven games of relief-related agita, Roberts managed with little stress in this rare trip to Safeco Field. The offense supplied three home runs in the first four innings and capitalized on a crucial mistake in the field by the Mariners in the fifth.