Clayton Kershaw Ejection Right Call For The Situation

Diamondbacks Rally Late, Come Up Short In 3-2 Loss To Dodgers

The Arizona Diamondbacks fell 3-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night, snapping the team's two-game win streak. Arizona drops to 87-73 on the season.

The Dodgers came out swinging and put points on the board right away, scoring two runs in the very first inning. Matt Kemp and Jerry Sands both hit singles to drive in runs, and the Diamondbacks gave up four total hits in the inning.

The game turned into a defensive showdown from there, with both teams failing to score again until the eighth inning. Geoff Glum grounded out to the short stop and brought Ryan Roberts in to score in the top of the inning, pulling the Diamondbacks within a run at 2-1. The Dodgers, however, countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth on a single by Aaron Miles. A single by Miguel Montero in the top of the ninth gave the Diamondbacks one more run but left Arizona with a 3-2 loss.

Pitcher Daniel Hudson (16-10) pitched seven innings, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out four batters. The pitcher had led his team to victory in each of his past four wins but fell just a little short in this one.

The Diamondbacks fall to 87-73 on the season and move into a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers for second place in the National League. Arizona leads the San Francisco Giants by seven games with 12 games left in the season.

Diamondbacks Rally For Extra-Inning Win Behind Bullpen, Home Runs

Ian Kennedy had been so money, as Vince Vaughn said in "Swingers," of late. The Diamondbacks ace entered his start Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium having  won 11 of his last 12 starts, boasting a 19-4 overall record with the words "serious NL Cy Young Award candidate" right there next to his name and those gaudy numbers.

Kennedy might still be voted winner of that coveted pitcher's award. Not because he got the win after allowing four runs and leaving with the game tied after six innings, but because he gutted one out clearly without his best stuff. His effort helped set the stage for yet another comeback win for Arizona, 5-4 in 10 innings.

Meanwhile, the D-backs battled back after leading 2-0 going to the bottom of the first, then watching Kennedy give up four runs, three after there were two out. Miguel Montero, whose two-run home run put the Diamondbacks on the board first off Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley, drove in Aaron Hill with a sacrifice fly in the third. 

Things got even more interesting in the seventh. With two out, Gerardo Parra got buzzed by a pitch high and tight near his face by LA. reliever Hong Chih-Kuo and took a moment or two to step out of the batter's box and glare back at Kuo on the mound. Parra got the ultimate revenge, powering up for a solo blast and taking his time before leaving the batter's box and trotting around the bases.

Parra and Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis exchanged words at home plate, then both benches got into the act. But it ended there. 

The game would go into extra innings, and Dodgers closer Javy Guerra lost the strike zone completely. Left in the game for a second inning of work -- something Guerra clearly wasn't up to though manager Don Mattingly left him out there -- Guerra walked three straight Arizona hitters (one intentionally). The last one was Chris Young with the bases loaded, and Parra came in with the go-ahead run.

The Diamondbacks bullpen was magnificent yet again, four relievers tossing four shutout innings after Kennedy left. J.J. Putz struck out Justin Sellers and Matt Kemp in the bottom of the 10th before walking Rod Barajas, then forcing James Loney to ground out for his 40th save of the season. Micah Owings earned the win and improved to 7-0.  

Saunders, Parra Help D-backs To 7-2 Win Over Dodgers, 2nd Place In NL

The Arizona Diamondbacks pulled out another come-from-behind win, this time overcoming a relatively minor one-run deficit. They defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 behind a five-run sixth inning to move into second place in the National League and potentially secure home field advantage in the playoffs.

Joe Saunders pitched seven innings, giving up two earned runs — one a solo shot from potential NL MVP Matt Kemp with two outs in the first, and the other an RBI single from rookie Jerry Sands in the seventh. Saunders (11-12) got the win after his teammates lit up the scoreboard in the sixth. 

It all started with an RBI double from Aaron Hill, who’s batting .324 in Arizona, to score Willie Bloomquist. Justin Upton was intentionally walked and Hill stole third to allow Paul Goldschmidt to add an RBI single.Ryan Roberts singled to score Upton, and Geraro Parra finished things up with a two-run single.

Once Saunders was relieved after the seventh, the Arizona Diamondbacks bullpen decided to add a little spice to the game and perhaps bring back some memories from 2010. Joe Paterson and Bryan Shaw had a relatively uneventful eighth inning, but in the ninth, Shaw and Alberto Castillo combined to allow two hits and a walk (after Castillo hit Tony Gwynn with a pitch) to load the bases before J.J. Putz was finally called in to put an end to the drama. The save was Putz’s 39th of the season.

The idle Milwaukee Brewers and the Arizona Diamondbacks now have identical records at 86-62, but the D-backs won the season series 4-3 and have the tiebreaker for the number two seed in the National League. The San Francisco Giants also won, keeping Arizona’s NL West lead at 8 1/2 games.

For more Snakes coverage, head over the SB Nation’s blog, AZ Snake Pit.

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