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Upton leads D'Backs into second test vs. White Sox

Jun 18, 2011 - 2:57 PM (Sports Network) - Justin Upton and the Arizona Diamondbacks hope to claim the top spot in the National League West when they resume a three-game interleague series tonight versus the Chicago White Sox at Chase Field.

The Diamondbacks moved within a half-game of San Francisco for division bragging rights after the Giants lost to Oakland last night. The D'Backs, who catapulted to the top of the division after a 15-2 run from May 14-30, stayed the course with a 4-1 win last night over the White Sox, as Upton recorded his fifth consecutive multi-hit game with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate.

Upton, who also had an RBI and a run scored, is batting .591 with 13 hits, including a home run, and five RBI over that stretch for Arizona, which has won two in a row and five of seven games. Kelly Johnson, Miguel Montero and winning pitcher Daniel Hudson all knocked in runs for the D'Backs.

Hudson, a former White Sox employee, went the distance for the first time in his career and allowed one run and three hits with five K's and a walk. He has now won eight of nine decisions since opening the season with four straight defeats, and is 8-5 on the season.

"It was very exciting," Hudson said. "Obviously it was a little bit special, but I didn't have any different mentality going out there then I had for the whole year."

Hudson squared off with White Sox hurler Edwin Jackson, as both players were traded for each other in a three-player deal last summer.

Jackson allowed four runs on eight hits over 6 2/3 frames for the White Sox, who have lost three straight and are 9-7 in the past 16 tries. He also struck out eight without issuing a walk. Jackson was also facing his former team for the first time since the trade.

"They got some runners in scoring position early in the game and they capitalized on it in the first inning and the seventh," Jackson said. "Just one of those games you try to go and battle and keep your team as close as you can."

Paul Konerko homered in the seventh inning to account for Chicago's scoring, while Juan Pierre and Alexei Ramirez both went 1-for-4 in the three-hit attack. Konerko is batting .426 with seven homers, 16 RBI and 26 hits over his last 16 games, and moved past Albert Belle for 60th place on the all-time home runs list with 382. He is now tied with Frank Howard and Jim Rice.

Chicago is 5 1/2 games off the pace in the American League Central standings, with Detroit and Cleveland in a virtual lock for the top spot.

Coming off the worst and just his fourth start of the season, Diamondbacks starter Zach Duke gets the nod tonight. Duke spent the beginning of the season on the disabled list and won his first start on May 28 with seven scoreless innings at Houston.

Duke then lost to Washington on June 2 and followed that rough performance with consecutive no-decisions at Pittsburgh and Florida. In Monday's 12-9 win over the Marlins, Duke was hammered for a season-high seven runs and 13 hits in only 4 2/3 innings, a season low.

The left-hander has made four career starts against the White Sox, going 0-2 with a 5.61 ERA in that stretch.

It seems John Danks is starting to find his groove. Danks has won two straight starts since opening the campaign 0-8 with a 5.25 ERA over his first 11 trips to the hill and draws the assignment tonight for the Pale Hose.

Danks ended the winless drought in a 3-1 win versus Seattle on June 6, when he permitted only one unearned run in 7 1/3 innings. He then held the Athletics to a pair of runs in 7 2/3 frames of a 3-2 victory on Saturday, lifting his record to 2-8 and lowering his ERA to 4.54.

The left-hander is still 0-6 in six road starts this season and has never faced Arizona in his career.

Chicago and Arizona are battling for the first time since the 2005 campaign, when the D'Backs won two of three meetings at U.S. Cellular Field. The Diamondbacks also won a three-game series in 2003 in the desert and are 94-112 all-time against the American League.

The White Sox own a stellar 145-106 record in interleague action. They had won 13 of 15 and 20 of the past 24 games against the National League before Friday's setback. Chicago is 41-17 in interleague action since 2008.