Dodgers 4, Diamondbacks 3
Clayton Kershaw struck out 11 and allowed three hits in seven overpowering innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.
Rod Barajas belted a solo home run, and James Loney and Andre Ethier each had RBI hits as the Dodgers built a 4-0 lead en route to their third straight win and sent Arizona to its fifth consecutive defeat.
Kershaw (5-3) allowed hits to the first two batters but gave up only one the rest of the way and retired the final 14 batters he faced.
Barajas broke up a scoreless duel with a fifth-inning homer off Joe Saunders (0-5), who was charged with four runs – three earned – on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Arizona’s Miguel Montero hit a two-run pinch-hit single in the ninth off closer Vicente Padilla to cut the deficit to 4-3 before Kenley Jansen got the final out.
Chris Young was 3-for-4 and Xavier Nady had an RBI single for the Diamondbacks, who fell to 1-6 on their current nine-game road trip.
Matt Kemp, Jamey Carroll and Aaron Miles had two hits apiece for the Dodgers.