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Diamondbacks jump out early, hold on to down Dodgers

Aug 5, 2007 - 6:29 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Eric Byrnes is having a season to remember.

Byrnes blasted a two-run homer and finished with three RBI, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks post an 8-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

Ranked among the team leaders in every major hitting category, Byrnes also is seventh in the National League in hits (135) and sixth in stolen bases (28). A lifetime .269 hitter, he is batting a career-high .306 this season, good for the 13th-best mark in the NL.

Byrnes wasted little time putting Arizona ahead in the first, following a walk to Orlando Hudson with a two-run shot off Dodgers starter Derek Lowe (8-10), who was making his first start since straining his groin on July 25. The 31-year-old California native notched his 38th multi-hit effort of the season with a single in the ninth.

"It's tough to look for anything else other than a sinker when you're facing Derek Lowe," Byrnes said. "You have to. He throws a sinker more than 80 percent of the time. So I was looking for something down in the zone and I got something down in the zone."

Miguel Montero also hit a two-run homer and scored twice for the Diamondbacks, who improved to an NL-best 15-7 since the All-Star break.

"We knew they (the Diamondbacks) came in here hot," Dodgers manager Grady Little. "Everything they do seems to be turning out the right way."

Trailing, 8-1, after Montero's shot in the top of the sixth, Los Angeles chipped away over the next three innings. Andre Ethier plated Nomar Garciaparra with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the sixth, narrowing the deficit to 8-2.

The Dodgers added four more runs in the seventh, taking advantage of rookie right fielder Justin Upton's second fielding error of the contest on a routine fly ball off the bat of Russell Martin.

The 19-year-old, playing in just his third major league game, appeared to take his eye off the ball at the last moment, allowing the ball to bounce off the heel of his glove and loading the bases.

Los Angeles capitalized in the next two at-bats with Luis Gonzalez's sacrifice fly. Garciaparra followed the Dodger cleanup hitter with a three-run blast over the wall in left, closing the deficit to 8-6.

Ethier struck again in the eighth, when he crushed a pitch from Arizona reliever Tony Pena deep into the seats in right for his ninth homer, making it a one-run game.

But that was all the closer the Dodgers could get as Pena turned things over to Jose Valverde in the ninth. Arizona's all-time saves leader who had blown two of his previous three save opportunities, Valverde tossed a perfect frame to collect his 33rd save in 38 chances.

"He's throwing strikes and going at guys," Byrnes said. "He's got a second and third pitch now that keeps everyone off his fastball. His cutter is unbelievable."

Livan Hernandez (7-7), who was coming off one of the worst outings of his career against Atlanta on Sunday, recovered nicely by yielding two runs - one earned - and five hits with four strikeouts in six innings.

"Livan was beautiful tonight," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "It looks like he's kind of turned the corner."

Lowe labored through five frames, surrendering six runs - four earned - and four hits. The sinkerballer, who has not won since June 22, had his winless streak extended to seven starts.

"It's frustrating," Lowe said. "It's been an eternity since I've won and I'm trying to get back on a roll."

Garciaparra finished with two hits, three RBI and two runs scored for the Dodgers, who dropped their second straight contest against the Diamondbacks after defeating them in seven of the previous nine meetings.