Top of the order swings into action

The Dodgers’ Nos. 1-3 hitters, who have spent much of the season’s first six weeks in a collective funk, helped get the party started Sunday afternoon during the Dodgers’ 10-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium.

Rafael Furcal, Juan Pierre and Nomar Garciaparra combined for nine of the Dodgers’ 18 hits. Furcal was four for four with two doubles, a run batted in, two runs scored and two stolen bases, raising his batting average from .228 to .254.

“That’s what we’re looking for, a lot of offense,” said Furcal, who credited an infield hit Saturday with helping him gain more confidence in his swing.

Pierre drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single in the eighth inning and Garciaparra finished three for five with three runs batted in.

“Today it was nice that we got some timely hitting and produced some runs,” Garciaparra said. “We got a lot of hits and got a lot of guys on base.”

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Two days after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow, outfielder Marlon Anderson was back in the Dodger Stadium clubhouse feeling reassured about his decision to have bone chips and scar tissue removed.

“It feels a whole lot better,” said Anderson, whose condition has limited him to 18 at-bats this season. “I don’t really know what caused it. I’m just glad I had it done because I feel so much better already.”

Anderson said he suspects that the scar tissue formed after surgery on the elbow in October. He said he felt a lingering tightness in the area and had trouble staying loose.

“With the scar tissue it would flame up, you could take [anti-inflammatory medication] and it would go down and feel good for a couple of days, and then you would have that one day where it would feel terrible,” said Anderson, a key component of the Dodgers’ late playoff push last season.

Anderson said his range of motion has already improved significantly since his most recent procedure. Though he could not provide a timetable for a return from an injury that is expected to sideline him for at least two months, Anderson said he was confident he would play again this season.

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Having displayed some punch off the bench last week during a trip in which he homered in consecutive pinch-hit appearances, Wilson Betemit was back in the lineup Sunday as the starting third baseman.

“We had been searching, along with him, for anything that might get him going,” Manager Grady Little said of the decision to bring Betemit off the bench. “He found something on that trip that might be just what we needed, so we’ll see.... He’s earned the right to play.”

Betemit was one for three Sunday before being replaced by Andy LaRoche as part of a double switch in the sixth inning. Betemit doubled and scored a run in the second inning on Furcal’s sacrifice but struck out in the third and flied out with a runner on third base in the fifth.

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Like other Dodgers players who wanted to raise awareness about breast cancer on Mother’s Day, Andre Ethier swung a pink bat Sunday. Only his had a special twist -- it was inscribed with the name of his mother, Priscilla. Ethier said he would put one of the bats up in his home and one in his mother’s home as a tribute.

“It’s kind of neat to get a chance to honor your mom like that, all the sacrifices they made while you were growing up,” he said.

ben.bolch@latimes.com