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.
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