The Los Angeles Dodgers target a series win over the NL West-rival Arizona Diamondbacks when the division foes resume a three-game set Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers took Friday's opener, 4-3, behind a Matt Kemp home run and solid pitching from Clayton Kershaw. Kemp hit a two-run homer in the second inning and Kershaw fanned seven across seven innings of work, allowing just a run.
"Kersh battled and as the game moved on he got better," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Matt got us going tonight and that was big for us."
Kenley Jansen was the third reliever used by Los Angeles and labored through a shaky ninth inning to record his 18th save.
Hanley Ramirez was back in the lineup because of a shoulder injury and went 2- for-3 with a run scored. Kemp ended with two hits in the win, LA's fifth in the last eight tries.
The Dodgers will also host Colorado for three games on this homestand.
Dan Haren gets the start for the Dodgers tonight and ended a four-start winless (0-3) drought his last time on the mound. In Monday's 6-2 win at Cincinnati, Haren allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings to lift his record to 6-4 with a 3.49 earned run average.
Haren, a right-hander, has given up at least two runs in his last eight starts, but his offense finally came through against the Reds. Haren has faced his former Arizona club six times (5 starts) in his career and is 4-2 with a 3.60 ERA.
The Diamondbacks have lost three in a row and four of their last five games. In Friday's setback at Dodger Stadium, Aaron Hill went 3-for-5 with two RBI and both Gerardo Parra and Tuffy Gosewisch ended with three hits.
D'backs rookie starting pitcher Chase Anderson had won his first five starts, but was dealt the loss for surrendering two runs in five innings. The two runs came on Kemp's homer in the second inning.
"I left a changeup up and he got it," Anderson said of Kemp's homer. "I'm going to take this game and learn from it."
Josh Collmenter tries to pitch the D'backs into the win column Saturday and he is 4-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 15 games (11 starts). Collmenter is coming off Monday's 4-3 loss to Houston in which he gave up four runs -- three earned -- in seven innings of work.
Collmenter was 4-0 in his previous eight outings and has given up seven runs over his past two appearances. The right-hander has faced the Dodgers 14 times (6 starts) in his career and is 4-6 with a 5.19 ERA.
Los Angeles is 9-3 against the D'backs this season. Arizona fell to 13-8 in the last 21 games at Chavez Ravine.
[SportsNetwork.com]
