Barnes' hustle helps Dodgers win 7th straight

Mookie Betts went 0-for-4 Tuesday and still got props from the hero of the Dodgers' 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium, Austin Barnes.

Scuffling with a .091 average 10 days ago, Barnes has a seven-game hitting streak that has raised his average to .304. And, by the way, he has been taking tips from you-know-who.

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"He's helped me tremendously. I don't know if he wants it out there, wants it under the radar, but he's helped me swinging-wise," Barnes said. "He helps me talking about hitting. He's helped me in the cage, been in there with me in the cage and hit with me and watched me swing. And that shows you what kind of teammate he is, to take time from his day to help someone else."

Did Barnes reach out to the superstar?

"No, he reached out to me, which was pretty cool," Barnes said. "He just thought he could help, and he really has. I feel good mentally now, I feel free mentally and I was a little cloudy before -- and it's hard to hit like that. But when your mechanics are in the right spot, you feel like you can put a swing on the ball and it makes it a lot easier. Little bit clearer in the head space."

Speaking of space, the Dodgers are putting some between them and the rest of the National League West, which they lead by four games with the best record in the NL (18-7). They have a seven-game winning streak, while the Mariners have a seven-game losing streak.

Barnes also is the Mookie Betts of catchers when it comes to baserunning hustle. In this game alone, Barnes beat out an infield single on a tapper to the pitcher, stole a base to set up the game-winner and scored both runs from second base on two-out singles by Justin Turner in the sixth inning and Corey Seager in the eighth.

The stolen base was supposed to be part of a hit-and-run, first tried when Betts popped up for the second out of the inning and Barnes retreated to first. Seattle reliever Dan Altavilla threw over before the first pitch to Seager, trying to keep Barnes anchored. When the count reached 2-2, first baseman Evan White was moved behind the runner, but Altavilla stepped off the rubber and looked Barnes back. Barnes, however, decided he would run on Altavilla's first move, and his jump was so quick there was no throw to second.

"The heart of the order was up, so you don't want to make an out on the bases, but I thought I could get him," Barnes said. "And when they played behind me, I was a little confused. I can run a little bit. I'm not super slow. Just took a shot."

Hard to overlook during Barnes' hot streak is that he's playing more with the injury to Will Smith. An elite pitch-framer who has developed a defense-first reputation, Barnes guided rookie starter Tony Gonsolin through six scoreless innings in 102-degree heat on two hits and had a front-row seat for the final five outs, all recorded by Blake Treinen for his second win.

"I've been a fan of Tony's for the whole time," said Barnes. "He's got a plus-plus pitch in the split changeup, a special pitch, haven't seen anything like that, it's a real big weapon. He pounds the zone, has a really good fastball that you saw in the last few innings, got it up to 98 [mph]. He reared back and let it loose."

Gonsolin has been a rotation fill-in with the injury to Alex Wood. Gonsolin hopes he has done enough to win a job outright, with Wood at least 10 days away from returning.

"Obviously, Tony did everything he can do," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "We've got some difficult decisions with Ross [Stripling] in the rotation and trying to get him untracked, with Alex coming back at some point, with a taxed bullpen. Things we've got to discuss internally. Looking out, whether it's short-term or longer-term, Tony's going to be a big part of this."