Dodgers beat Team Mexico in pre-WBC exhibition

PHOENIX –– It’s not often that Dodger fans are outnumbered in the stands at spring training games.Then again, it’s not every day they get a break from the normal monotony of the Cactus League schedule to face a national team in a World Baseball Classic tune-up game.That was the case Wednesday, as Team Mexico visited Camelback Ranch for an exhibition ahead of the upcoming WBC.Thus, the normal waves of blue and white in the crowd were replaced by streaks of red and green, with a lively, split crowd in attendance for the Dodgers’ 7-5 win.“It’s like an All-Star team, you know, but now you’re playing for not a league –– you’re playing for your country,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game, which featured the playing of both the U.S.and Mexican national anthems and a ceremonial first pitch from Fernando Valenzuela Jr.“There’s a lot more patriotism, certainly.

And it means a lot, to see Team Mexico.And then once this Classic starts, I’m a fan.

I just like watching these guys jell.”Here are four takeaways from Wednesday’s game.Get the perfect blend of news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story Andy Pages was already having a good spring, entering with a .333 average in Cactus League play.But on Wednesday, he went to another level, hitting a 430-foot home run in the first inning and a down-the-line double in the third.

In the fourth, Pages nearly hit another homer, too, pulling a deep drive just foul before striking out in a 10-pitch at-bat.After falling behind schedule early this spring while dealing with an illness, Emmet Sheehan made his spring debut Wednesday, pitching two innings out of the bullpen as he continues to ramp up.Despite the right-hander’s late start to Cactus League play, Roberts said there should still be time for S...