For change of pace, Dodgers lead all the way in 5-2 win

See, the Dodgers really are a versatile group. Don’t pigeonhole them. They can win games all sorts of ways.

Wednesday they completed a three-game sweep of the Mariners with a 5-2 victory in the annual Jackie Robinson Day game before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 51,287.

And there wasn’t a single comeback involved. No walk-off hit. No real dramatics at all. After the last couple of nights of walk-offs, it was all but routine.

The Dodgers jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, added solo runs in the second and third innings, and then sort of hung on. The victory improved their record to 6-3.

The Mariners were a trendy preseason pick to come out of the American League and advance into the World Series, but the Dodgers won all three games, surviving Nelson Cruz’s nightly home run in the process.

After scoring early, they picked up five mostly strong innings from Brett Anderson, got a little help from brain-dead baserunning by Robinson Cano, a couple of outstanding defensive plays from Joc Pederson in center and solid relief pitching.

The Dodgers put Seattle prospect Taijuan Walker on his heels in the first after Yasmani Grandal singled and Howie Kendrick walked. Andre Ethier singled in one run and Scott Van Slyke doubled in two more.

Walker walked two before Adrian Gonzalez lined a single off first baseman Logan Morrison’s glove to drive in one more in the second. They scored their final run in the third after Ethier was hit by a pitch, Juan Uribe singled and then Pederson drove in Ethier with a single to right.

Pederson also made an excellent diving catch of a Mike Zunino line drive in the second and threw out Zunino at the plate in the fifth when he tried to score from second on Justin Ruggiano’s hit.

Anderson gave up one run in the fourth when Cruz homered, bringing his season total to six.

In the sixth inning, an error by Gonzalez, a Cano single and a walk loaded the bases for Seattle and ended the night for Anderson (1-0). A Kyle Seager groundout scored one run but when Morrison drew a walk, Cano apparently thought the bases were still loaded. He started walking home and was tagged out in what was called a caught stealing.

Anderson was charged with two runs on six hits in his five-plus innings. He walked one and struck out three.

The Dodgers’ bullpen did the rest. Paco Rodriguez, Chris Hatcher, Pedro Baez and J.P. Howell held the Mariners scoreless. Howell got the final two outs.

Gonzalez went two for five and has now reached base safely in each of the team’s first nine games. He has 19 hits overall, a franchise record for the first nine games.