• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Dodgers-Diamondbacks Preview

Aug 16, 2009 - 6:07 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Los Angeles (69-47) at Arizona (53-63), 4:10 p.m. EDT

Very little is going right for the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers, whose NL West lead has diminished to its smallest margin in three months.

At least they can take solace that Hiroki Kuroda is not seriously injured.

With Kuroda recovering from a scary injury suffered in their latest loss, the Dodgers look to break out of their funk and avoid being swept for the first time this season in Sunday's finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Los Angeles (69-48) jumped out to a major league-best 46-24 mark on June 23, but has since gone 23-24. The Dodgers have lost six of eight and their division lead has shrunk to 4 1/2 games over Colorado - their smallest edge since they led by four on May 13.

Saturday's 4-3, 10-inning loss was painful for multiple reasons.

Kuroda cruised through five innings, allowing only two hits, as the Dodgers led 3-0, but he never recorded another out.

Diamondbacks pinch-hitter Rusty Ryal led off the sixth with a line shot off Kuroda's head that sent the Japanese right-hander to the ground. He was carted off the field and taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a concussion, but luckily did not suffer a fracture or internal bleeding.

"Amazingly, things look really pretty good," Los Angeles head athletic trainer Stan Conte said. "The fact that he didn't lose consciousness is a very good sign."

While Kuroda's injury left the team stunned, the way the Dodgers lost Saturday's game was also disheartening.

Los Angeles led 3-1 in the ninth inning, but All-Star closer Jonathan Broxton served up back-to-back homers to Mark Reynolds and Miguel Montero that extended the game. In the 10th, Arizona's Gerardo Parra won the game with a bases-loaded single.

"It was a test of resiliency in playing 27 outs," Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch said. "I think our guys stuck to it to the end."

While the Dodgers are on the verge of being swept for the first time since last Aug. 26-28 at Washington, Arizona has won four of five and 11 of 16.

The Diamondbacks (54-63) have won consecutive home series for the first time this season and are seeking their first sweep at Chase Field since taking all three over San Diego from July 6-8.

Completing the sweep won't be easy against scheduled starter Randy Wolf (6-6, 3.43 ERA), who is looking to build on one of his best outings of the year.

Wolf allowed one run and three hits in a season-high eight innings of a 9-1 win over San Francisco on Tuesday, his eighth quality start in his last nine outings.

A lack of offensive support has been the biggest reason Wolf hasn't won back-to-back starts since his final two outings of 2008. In 14 starts since June 2, the left-hander has received 29 runs of support in his three victories, but just 19 total runs of support in the other 11 outings in that span.

Wolf has been backed by three total runs of support in two games against the Diamondbacks this season, going 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA. He has posted a 2.97 ERA in winning all five starts at Chase Field since 2001.

The Diamondbacks counter with Yusmeiro Petit (2-6, 5.87), who appears to have reverted to form following a couple of brilliant outings.

After going 0-5 with a 7.68 ERA in his first 10 games of the season, Petit threw 14 shutout innings in winning his next two starts. The right-hander took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against Pittsburgh on Aug. 4, but didn't have the same success last Sunday, yielding four runs and nine hits in four innings of a 9-2 loss to Washington.

Petit hasn't faced the Dodgers since allowing three runs and five hits in five innings of an 11-2 loss on April 11, his season debut.