Dem Bums – A Dodgers Blog

PHOENIX — A pair of aces went head-to-head Sunday afternoon as Clayton Kershaw went up against the home team’s Ian Kennedy.

Kershaw (13-5) dropped only his second loss in his last ten starts, winning his last five.  But two two-run blasts was just enough to give Kershaw his fifth loss of the season despite only allowing five-hits in the effort.

Ian Kennedy (14-3) has now won his last six-starts currently posting a 3.20 ERA after his seven-innings of work Sunday.  Kennedy allowed three-runs on six-hits, but his bullpen entered to toss two-innings of perfect baseball as J. J. Putz had a one-two-three inning to earn his 26-save.

Kershaw was out of sync in the very beginning of the game, walking the first batter of game on four straight balls.  He then proceeded to throw three more balls to run the count 3-0 before recording his first strike.  But Kelly Johnson was not going to be an easy out and it showed as he took Kershaw long for a two-run homerun in the first to go up 2-0.

The Dodgers, James Loney, cut the Diamondbacks lead in half, homering in the fifth.  In the sixth, Los Angeles jumped out to a 3-2 lead.  Aaron Miles singled with one-out, coming home on Andre Ethier’s RBI-double to tie the game.  Juan Rivera then gave the Dodgers a one-run lead with his RBI-single to center before he was thrown out at second to close out the inning.

However, that lead would be short lived as a second two-run homerun saw Arizona reclaim their lead.  Cody Ransom hit his first career homerun to propel the Diamondbacks to a 4-3 victory over divisional foe, Los Angeles, in a half-empty stadium.

The Dodgers head back home to take on the best team in the majors, the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series, going up against Roy Halladay in the opener Monday night.