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Byrnes lifts Diamondbacks past Dodgers

Apr 10, 2008 - 12:07 AM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Eric Byrnes delivered a two-run single in the sixth inning to power the Arizona Diamondbacks to their sixth consecutive victory, a 4-3 triumph over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

Micah Owings (2-0) allowed three runs and seven hits while striking out four in seven innings for Arizona, which outscored Los Angeles, 23-11, en route to sweeping the three-game series.

The 25-year-old righthander was terrific in his first start of the season, allowing one run and two hits in 6 2/3 innings with a career-high nine strikeouts during an 8-1 victory over Colorado on Friday.

"It was just a battle. I didn't feel great today, but I felt good enough," Owings said. "I just tried to make pitches and let my team do their job behind me."

One of the players doing the job was Byrnes, who went 3-for-5 with a run scored in addition to his game-winning hit.

"I knew I wasn't going to wait around," Byrnes said of his sixth-inning at-bat. "(Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda) had three pitches he threw for strikes and has amazing stuff. I just tried to take advantage of the first-pitch strikes he was throwing."

And he did, stroking a single to left field to plate Robby Hammock and Augie Ojeda.

"I allowed too many hits today," Kuroda said through an interpreter. "The only pitch I threw that I regret was the one (to Byrnes) with the bases loaded in the sixth inning."

"They are very aggressive and they can swing from the dugout," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said of the Diamondbacks. "They showed us they can hit a fastball, and we put them in a lot of positions where we were stuck and had to do that. They are playing with a lot of confidence."

Juan Cruz retired three batters in the eighth and Brandon Lyon worked a flawless ninth to pick up his second save of the season.

James Loney belted a solo home run in the sixth inning and Juan Pierre had two hits - including a run-scoring double in the second inning - for Los Angeles, which has lost four of its last five games.

Kuroda (1-1), who signed a three-year, $35 million deal in the offseason, allowed four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

After Pierre's RBI double gave the Dodgers a 1-0 advantage in the second inning, Arizona scratched out a pair of runs in the fourth to take the lead.

Mark Reynolds, who had five home runs in his previous five games, grounded out to the third to plate Byrnes and tie the game. Justin Upton followed with a single that scored Conor Jackson for a 2-1 advantage.

"It's nice to get off to a good start, especially when you have more than 20 games against your division," Arizona coach Bob Melvin said.