Recap: Arizona vs. Los Angeles
Sports Network | August 30, 2008
Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Manny Ramirez went 4-for-5 with a double and two solo home runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped a season-high eight-game losing streak with a much-needed 6-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Chad Billingsley (13-10) scattered nine hits and two runs en route to getting the win for his seven-plus innings on the mound. The starter also set a career high in wins and recorded six strikeouts. Matt Kemp had two hits, including a two-run homer for the Dodgers, who moved to within 3 1/2 games of Arizona for the NL West lead. Dan Haren (14-7), who had won six of his previous seven decisions, was knocked around for 10 hits and five runs in his six-inning start for Arizona, which has fallen in five of its last six contests. Chris Young fell a homer short of the cycle while driving in both D-Backs runs. Ramirez's two-out, solo homer in the third was offset by Young's RBI triple in the bottom half. The Dodgers took the lead for good an inning later. With runners in scoring position, Angel Berroa bounced a ball in the hole between short and third. Stephen Drew made a backhanded stop but his off-balanced throw to first skipped into the dugout, allowing both runners to score. With Ramirez standing on base following his one-out double in the fifth, Kemp connected on an opposite-field blast that found the right-field seats for his 16th homer of the year. Ramirez came calling again in the seventh, going the other way and sending his ninth home run in Dodger blue off the right-field foul pole with one gone in the seventh. Billingsley kept Arizona silent until back-to-back doubles from Drew and Young, the latter of which bringing in a run, ended the righty's night in the eighth. Hong-Chih Kuo registered the final three outs of that inning and struck out the side in the ninth to finish off the win. Game Notes Ramirez's double in the fifth was the 500th of his career. Ramirez is 8-for-9 in the series...The Dodgers also snapped a 10-game road losing streak...LA's Jeff Kent did not play due to knee pain...In three previous starts against Arizona this year, Billingsley was 0-3 with a 7.71 earned run average...The Diamondbacks are 8-6 against Los Angeles in 2008. Game Notes Ramirez's double in the fifth was the 500th of his career. Ramirez is 8-for-9 in the series...The Dodgers also snapped a 10-game road losing streak...LA's Jeff Kent did not play due to knee pain...In three previous starts against Arizona this year, Billingsley was 0-3 with a 7.71 earned run average...The Diamondbacks are 8-6 against Los Angeles in 2008.
