Dodgers 6 - 7 Diamondbacks
Final/10
  for this game

Diamondbacks send out rookie Parker to face Dodgers

Sep 27, 2011 - 3:06 PM (Sports Network) - There's still a chance the Arizona Diamondbacks can capture home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but sending Jarrod Parker to the hill for his major league debut could damage those hopes.

Parker takes the ball tonight in the second matchup of a three-game series versus the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field and went 11-8 with a 3.79 earned run average in Double-A this season after missing the entire 2010 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Arizona's No. 1 pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft is a right-hander with average size at 6-1, 180 pounds. Parker is known for having a strong slider and curveball, and also developed a changeup before surgery.

The NL West-champion Diamondbacks had a chance to gain ground on the Milwaukee Brewers for the second-best record in the National League, but suffered a 4-2 loss to the Dodgers in Monday's series opener. Daniel Hudson was banged around for four runs and five hits, including a three-run homer by Matt Kemp in the first inning, in seven innings of work to take the loss.

"You tell yourself you've got a more important start coming up in the playoffs, so you just take it as a fine tuning," Hudson told the club's website. "Obviously we wanted to win that game and try and catch Milwaukee, but you go get 'em tomorrow."

Chris Young recorded a team-high two hits for Arizona, which had won four straight and six of seven games. D'Backs outfielder Justin Upton was held out of the game as a precaution after he was hit in the head by a pitch on Sunday against the Giants. He could possibly see action tonight.

Los Angeles will try to end this tumultuous season on a high note and recorded its eighth win in 10 tries last night. Kemp continued his pursuit of the first Triple Crown since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 by setting the tone early with a three-run blast in the first inning. Kemp needs two home runs to become only the fifth player in MLB history with a 40-homer, 40-steal season and owns five home runs and 13 RBI in a 10-game hitting streak.

Kemp leads in two-thirds of the Triple Crown categories, pacing the NL in home runs (38) and RBI (123) while his .324 average currently ranks third behind Ryan Braun (.334) and Jose Reyes (.334).

"I have about nine, 10 more at-bats to go. We'll see what happens," Kemp said.

Jerry Sands extended his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games and LA starter Dana Eveland threw 5 2/3 shutout innings for the win. Javy Guerra was the sixth reliever used by the Dodgers and posted his 21st save with a scoreless ninth inning.

Hiroki Kuroda will take the hill tonight in what could be his last appearance for the Dodgers. Kuroda hasn't decided whether he will return to the club or head back to Japan next season and has won two straight and six of his last eight starts. In an 8-2 win over San Francisco on Thursday, he tossed seven innings of two-run ball to improve to 13-16 in 31 starts with a 3.17 ERA.

The right-hander has faced Arizona 10 times in his career, going 2-5 with a 4.50 earned run average. He is 7-7 in 14 road starts this season.

Arizona is 9-7 against the Dodgers this season.






Related News