Dodgers sweep Arizona Diamondbacks with 7-5 win in Australia

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Adrian Gonzalez and Juan Uribe celebrate the Dodgers’ 7-5 victory over Arizona on Sunday, completing a two-game, season-opening sweep of the Diamondbacks in Sydney, Australia. (Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)

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Yasiel Puig tries to avoid the tag of Arizona third baseman Marin Prado during Sunday’s 7-5 Dodgers victory in Sydney. (Rick Rycroft / Associated Press)

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Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu gave up no runs and two hits with five strikeouts and one walk in five innings pitched Sunday against Arizona. (Mark Kolbe / Getty Images)

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Juan Uribe was one of several Dodgers to put on an offensive show for Australian baseball fans Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. (Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)

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Dodger fans made their presence known at Sydney Cricket Ground during Sunday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. (Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)

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A fan waves an American flag on Sunday during the opening series between the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks at Sydney Cricket Groundin Sydney, Australia. (Mark Kolbe / Getty Images)

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Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is hit by a pitch Sunday in Sydney. (Mark Kolbe / Getty Images)

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Crowds enter Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday afternoon for the second game between the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks in Australia. (Matt King / Getty Images)

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Arizona’s Wade Miley pitches the first ball of the season to Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig at Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday night. (Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)

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A.J. Ellis takes first after being hit on the foot during the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory over Arizona on Saturday night. (Mark Kolbe / Getty Images)

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Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen earned his first save of the season Saturday night against Arizona. (Saeed Khan / AFP / Getty Images)

By Steve Dilbeck

March 22, 2014 11:26 PM PT

As the Dodgers were saying, they just love the idea of going to Australia. They should make it an annual event. Zack Greinke feels all left out. Maybe they’ll bring him back a stuffed koala bear or something.

What they are coming back with is a 2-0 record after sweeping their two-game, season-opening series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday following a 7-5 victory in that oldest ballpark in the majors, the Sydney Cricket Ground.

With Hyun-Jin Ryu holding the team-that-would-be-their-rivals scoreless in his five innings and the offense putting together a 13-hit attack, the Dodgers looked a lot like the team favored by many to be the last standing in the National League.

Deep and dangerous.

BOX SCORE: Dodgers 7, Diamondbacks 5

They certainly didn’t play a perfect game -- there were base-running mistakes, fielding miscues and 13 runners left on base -- but they did plenty enough right to make the trip Down Under a memorable one.

Dee Gordon, Yasiel Puig and Juan Uribe had three hits each, and the bullpen followed Ryu by holding Arizona to one run over three innings before faltering in the ninth.

Arizona’s Trevor Cahill was 6-0 with a lifetime 2.01 earned-run average against the Dodgers, and he couldn’t get an out in the fourth. He gave up five runs on eight hits and four walks. The Dodgers own this continent.

Cahill’s was far from the sharp effort turned in by Ryu. In Ryu’s five innings, he allowed only two hits and a walk, striking out five.

He was followed by Chris Withrow, Paco Rodriguez, Jamey Wright, J.P. Howell and Jose Dominguez, who struggled in the ninth, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks. That forced Paul Maholm to make his Dodgers debut in the ninth. It was only Maholm’s second relief appearance in his 10 major league seasons.

Kenley Jansen came on to get the final out, but not before first giving up a two-run homer to ex-Angel Mark Trumbo.