Diamondbacks 6 - 4 Dodgers
Final
  for this game

Owings aims for another solid outing for D-Backs vs. Dodgers

Jul 30, 2011 - 2:45 PM (Sports Network) - While there is no danger of Chad Billingsley losing his spot in the Dodgers' rotation, Micah Owings is fighting to show the Diamondbacks he can be a reliable starter.

Owings gets another chance to impress Arizona manager Kirk Gibson tonight in the second of three straight games versus Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium.

Owings is trying to maintain his current claim as the fifth man in the rotation. He earned another shot in the role after a solid outing last time out when he recorded a win over Colorado.

Making his first start since May 26, the right-handed Owings scattered two hits and three walks over five scoreless innings to beat the Rockies on Sunday. It was his first victory since June 13 and gave him a 4-0 mark and 2.36 earned run average in 17 appearances this season, including three starts.

"That's what we were hoping for," Gibson said on his team's website. "He did a great job and, right now, he is our fifth guy. I think he'll probably get another start. Why wouldn't he?"

The 28-year-old Owings is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in nine games on the road in 2011 and sports a career mark of 1-2 with a 6.91 ERA in nine outings versus the Dodgers. Four of those have been starts.

Taking the hill for the Dodgers one day after his 27th birthday, Billingsley hopes to post a second straight winning start.

Billingsley has allowed only two runs over his past four victories while yielding eight in a pair of losses mixed in. He threw seven innings of one-run ball on Sunday versus Washington, working around two hits and a pair of walks while striking out 10. The righty struggled through a 38-pitch first inning, but retired 21 of the final 22 batters faced.

Billingsley moved to 9-8 with a 3.92 ERA in 21 games this season. That includes a tough-luck loss to the Diamondbacks on May 14. He took a 1-0 setback as he allowed an unearned run over eight innings to go along with eight strikeouts.

In his career, Billingsley is 9-6 with a 3.26 ERA against Arizona.

The Dodgers claimed the opener of this set on Friday thanks in large part to Matt Kemp, who belted a three-run homer and added a two-run single to boost his team to a 9-5 win.

"Fortunately there were runners on base and I was able to get hits," Kemp said. "We had timely hits tonight and did a good job of getting guys on base."

Andre Ethier went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Ted Lilly went the minimum five innings to get credit for the win, Los Angeles' fifth in six games.

Justin Upton, Willie Bloomquist and Ryan Roberts all homered for Arizona, which has dropped two straight on the heels of a four-game winning streak. Upton extended his hitting streak to 10 games as the Diamondbacks stayed four games behind the Giants for first place in the NL West.

Josh Collmenter surrendered five runs on seven hits in just 3 2/3 innings to take the loss.

"I couldn't find a comfortable rhythm. I was struggling. Things didn't feel as they normally do," Collmenter said.

The Dodgers could have third baseman Casey Blake back on the roster tonight after he made another rehab start on Friday. He has been out since July 3 due to a sprained neck.

Arizona has won three straight and five of its past six versus Los Angeles.






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