Garland beats D'Backs 4-2 in Dodgers debut

[September 04, 2009]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jon Garland, facing the team that traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers just three days earlier, retired his last 14 batters and Manny Ramirez homered to lead the NL West leaders to a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night and a split of the four-game series.

Garland (9-11) gave up two runs and five hits over seven innings, including a solo homer by Stephen Drew. He struck out six and walked one. The right-hander, coming off back-to-back wins against Houston -- including a seven-inning scoreless stint last Saturday -- has won three consecutive starts after going 1-9 with a 4.50 ERA over his previous 16 outings.

When the Diamondbacks got to Los Angeles to begin this seven-game trip, Garland was slated to face the Dodgers' Thursday night. But he was traded across the field during Monday night's game, and instead faced his former team.

Newly acquired Ronnie Belliard had three RBIs, including a run-scoring single that put Los Angeles ahead to stay in the fourth inning.

It's the first time Garland has won three straight starts since May 2007 with the White Sox, when he beat the Angels, Royals and Yankees.

The only other time Garland pitched at Dodger Stadium was on June 3, when he allowed a run and four hits over six innings but gave up a sacrifice fly by Casey Blake after a triple by Matt Kemp and lost 1-0. The 10-year veteran was born in Valencia, Calif., and played his high school ball in nearby Granada Hills.

George Sherrill pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Jonathan Broxton did likewise in the ninth for his 31st save in 36 attempts. Each gave up one hit.

Billy Buckner (2-6) gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings and struck out four in his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Reno on Monday.

The Dodgers grabbed a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Ramirez tied it with his 16th homer and 543rd of his career. Blake, fighting a 3-for-31 rut, doubled inside third base and scored from third one out later on Belliard's single.

Drew gave Arizona a 2-1 lead in the third with his 12th homer, driving a 1-0 pitch just beyond the outstretched glove of center fielder Matt Kemp as he made a leaping attempt in right-center. Arizona grounded into inning-ending double plays in each of the first two frames, with Garland starting the first one on a comebacker by Brandon Allen after giving up an RBI single to Mark Reynolds. The Dodgers tied it in the second when James Loney singled with two out, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Belliard's broken-bat single.

NOTES: Garland was the 12th pitcher to start for the Dodgers, one more than they used last season and one shy of the Los Angeles record set in 1964. The franchise mark is 19 -- in 1944, while World War II was still raging. ... Arizona RF Justin Upton didn't was a late scratch from the starting lineup because of a problem with his contact lenses. But he pinch-hit in the seventh and doubled.

[Associated Press]

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