LDN - Sports

Bradley pitches Diamondbacks to victory over Dodgers

[September 16, 2016] PHOENIX -- Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Archie Bradley did Thursday what he's struggled all season to do, pitch out of trouble.

Bradley threw six-plus solid innings, and Mitch Haniger and Kyle Jensen each homered to help the Diamondbacks beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3 to open a four-game series.

Bradley (7-9) allowed three runs on nine hits, walked two and struck out seven to earn his third win in his last four starts. More importantly, he overcame giving up Chase Utley's single to lead off the game and putting runners on first and second with nobody out in the second and third innings, all without giving up a run.

"Obviously he got into trouble but he was able to make pitches to get out of it," Arizona manager Chip Hale said.

Bradley lasted three batters into the seventh. Joc Pederson singled to left, went to third on Andrew Toles' pinch-hit double and scored on a wild pitch. Chase Utley followed with a double left, scoring Toles to end Bradley's outing.

"I felt I threw the ball pretty well," Bradley said. "Even after giving up the run (in the fifth), I still felt good about how I was throwing the ball."

Tempers flared briefly in the fourth inning after Dodgers starter Rich Hill, leading off the inning, bunted the ball back to Bradley for the first out. After crossing first base, Hill turned immediately and yelled at Bradley, apparently about the pitch being on the inside part of the plate. Bradley yelled back and both benches and bullpens emptied, though players from the two teams stayed apart.

"Just because you're a pitcher I'm not going to not throw you inside," Bradley said.

Left-hander Patrick Corbin, the one-time starter relegated to the bullpen in mid-August, threw a perfect final three innings for his first save of the season and second of his career.

"His stuff tonight was as crisp as we've seen it," Hale said. "Those were three strong, strong innings."

Brandon Drury added an RBI single for the Diamondbacks, who have won four consecutive home games for the first time since July 9-20, 2014.

"You want to build momentum, but you want to play well every night," Hale said. "The Rockies series wasn't a pretty one but this was a real good baseball game."

The Dodgers lost two of their last three and alternated wins and losses for the past eight games. With the San Francisco Giants' win over St. Louis, the Dodgers' lead in the NL West slipped to four games.

"It's one of those things that is a little four, five game lull," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "Whatever it is, whatever it might be, it goes in spurts."

Hill (3-1 since joining the Dodgers, 12-4 overall) allowed his first runs in four starts since he was acquired from Oakland on Aug. 1. Hill pitched into the sixth, allowing four runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. The loss was his first in nine decisions on the road this season.

"I just didn't execute," Hill said. "The reason we lost is I did not execute tonight. That's what it came down to, making better pitches. Especially at this point of the season, that is unacceptable."

He had only allowed four runs in a start once this season -- in his season debut April 4, and had not allowed as many as four runs in a game since July 21, 2009 against the New York Yankees as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 18 starts and 119 relief appearances

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Diamondbacks starting pitcher Archie Bradley (25) reacts after the benches clear against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Hill struck out three of the first five hitters he faced, but his scoreless run and perfect streak came to an abrupt halt. Jensen, making his third career start, drove a 2-2 pitch from Hill high off the batters' eye in center field to give the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead.

"It was over the plate and I took advantage of it," Jensen said.

It was the first base runner Hill had allowed since Sept. 3 and ended the left-hander's scoreless streak since joining the Dodgers at 20 2/3 innings.

The Diamondbacks tacked on a run in the third when Tuffy Gosewich singled up the middle, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Chris Owings' two-run single to center to make it 2-0.

The Dodgers scored soon after the dugouts emptied. Utley walked and scored when Justin Turner doubled past a lumbering Yasmany Tomas in right to cut the lead to 2-1.

Then the Arizona offense took off against Hill and reliever Louis Coleman.

Jean Segura walked, took second on a passed ball and scored on a one-out single to left by Paul Goldschmidt, ending Hill's night.

On came Coleman, who gave up Drury's run-scoring single and walked Jensen before Haniger homered to left to give the Diamondbacks the 7-1 lead.

Arizona has hit 12 homers and scored 41 runs in its past four games.

NOTES: The Dodgers on Thursday sent minor league outfielder Joey Curletta to Philadelphia as the player to be named later, completing the teams' Carlos Ruiz-A.J. Ellis trade Aug. 25. ... Arizona manager Chip Hale said RHP Rubby De La Rosa will be shut down from major league action the rest of the season, but will continue working in the bullpen and in side sessions. ... Dodgers 3B Justin Turner, who said he jammed his neck on a headfirst slide on Wednesday, was in his usual third spot in the lineup. Turner crashed into the knee of Yankees 2B Starlin Castro sliding into the bag on his go-ahead double in the ninth. ... Diamondbacks LF Kyle Jensen got the start, his third in Arizona's past seven games. ... The Dodgers on Wednesday clinched their sixth straight winning season, the second-longest streak since a 10-year run from 1969-1978. ... Arizona entered the game leading the NL in batting average (.279) and slugging percentage (.490) against left-handers.

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