Ryu, Dodgers rough up Brewers

MILWAUKEE (AP) ― Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly has been sharply critical of his slumping team.

For at least one day, everything was all right with the embattled Dodgers.

Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke drove in two runs each and Ramon Hernandez hit his first home run in the Dodgers’ 9-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

Even after the win, the Dodgers are last in the NL West at 19-26.

Rookie Ryu Hyun-jin (5-2), given a 7-0 lead, allowed two runs and six hits in a season-high 7 1/3 innings. Ryu has allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of his 10 appearances.

“The team gave me that lead, so I was really comfortable,” Ryu said through an interpreter.

Before the game, Mattingly expressed his unhappiness with the team and benched All-Star right fielder Andre Ethier.

Mattingly, in the third and final year of his contract, discussed his club’s lack of mental toughness and said he wanted a balanced team that has grit and fight.

He benched Ethier for the third time in six games and said he was “putting out my lineup that I feel is going to be the most competitive and going to compete the hardest.”

Ethier was not informed of what his manager said until after the game by a member of the team’s media relations staff, and said he took no offense to the comment.

“I’m struggling just like everyone else here to get a grip and get a handle on what’s going on here, and never losing hope of what our main goal is,” Ethier said. “Which is to figure this out and turn things around. And figure out a way to get back on top of this division.”

Ethier said there’s still time for the Dodgers to get going.

“Why not?” Ethier said. “We’re not out of this by far. We’re right there ― I don’t mean right there ― but we’re close.

“A good run the next month or two could put us right back where we want to be by the All-Star break. We have confidence in everyone in this room and everyone on this staff. Other than the pressure put on this team to perform right away and do what’s it’s done is the reason why these issues are coming up.”

Every position player for Los Angeles except Adrian Gonzalez had at least one hit.

Milwaukee starter Wily Peralta (3-5) gave up six runs ― four earned ― and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Reds top struggling Mets

NEW YORK (AP) ― Brandon Phillips and the Cincinnati Reds are getting the good bounces right now. Ike Davis and the New York Mets certainly are not.

Phillips sent a strange double spinning over first base to break a ninth-inning tie and the Reds completed a three-game sweep of the struggling Mets with a 7-4 victory Wednesday.

Joey Votto homered and Zack Cozart had a career-high four hits, all off Matt Harvey, in a game that featured a little bit of everything ― including a testy exchange in the dugout between Cincinnati starter Mat Latos and teammate Jay Bruce.

“It was just an issue between the team and it’s going to stay that way,” Bruce said. “The only reason anyone knows about it is because the TVs caught it, but stuff happens all the time. It’s over. We’re a team, we’re a family. Things like that happen, so everything’s good and it’s a non-issue.”

After their spat, the Reds regrouped and won for the 10th time in 12 games. They finished a 7-2 trip against the bottom three teams in the NL East, moving a season-best 11 games over .500 at 29-18.

“We closed it out strong. We won the last three innings even though they made it tough and they had the winning run on second a couple times,” manager Dusty Baker said. “We were kind of flirting with danger quite a few times, but our defense saved us.”

Harvey appeared headed for his first loss of the season before the Mets rallied.

Atlanta 8, Minnesota 3

Texas 3, Oakland 1

Colorado 4, Arizona 1

Washington 2, San Francisco 1

Toronto 4, Tampa Bay 3

Baltimore 6, NY Yankees 3

LA Angels 7, Seattle 1

Pittsburgh 1, Chicago Cubs 0

Philadelphia 3, Miami 0

Boston 6, Chicago White Sox 2

Houston 3, Kansas City 1

Detroit 11, Cleveland 7

St. Louis 5, San Diego 3