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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rookie Braden Shipley proved he is one quick learner.
Arizona's 2013 first-round draft pick turned his second career start into his first major league victory with six scoreless innings Saturday night as the Diamondbacks beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2.
"I was just sticking with my plan, you know, staying down in the zone, using my sinker effectively," said Braden, who got 11 ground-ball outs five days after surrendering three home runs in his major league debut. "That's kind of what I knew that I had to do coming into the night. Just work down in the zone, and mix pitches, and use that sinker.
Shipley (1-1) held the Dodgers to five hits in his second career start as the Diamondbacks won for only the third time in 11 games. He struck out four and walked one.
"Obvioulsy, a lot of ground-ball outs, so he's getting the ball down. His ball had some movement downward," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "Curveball looked good. Changeup was better than it was the first night, and he just located the fastball."
Jean Segura led the Diamondbacks out of the gate with a leadoff homer and Arizona had a 2-0 lead before Shipley took the hill.
Segura hit Scott Kazmir's third pitch of the game over the left-field fence for his fourth leadoff home run of the season. He added an RBI double in the second, and is hitting .396 (19 for 48) over his last 12 games.
"He's going to challenge Rickey Henderson pretty soon," Hale said with a smile. "He's done a really nice job for us."
Kazmir (9-4) gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. The left-hander entered the game as the National League's only undefeated pitcher — minimum of 10 starts — since May 14, going 7-0 with a 3.73 ERA in 13 starts.
"We just let this one slip away," Kazmir said. "Giving up three early in the same, really setting the tone. Shipley, he was great out there. You have to tip your cap to him."
Joc Pederson hit his 15th home run, and second in two nights, with two outs in the ninth inning for Los Angeles, which lost for the second time in six games.
The Dodgers fell two games behind division-leading San Francisco. Los Angeles went 17-9 from June 26 through Friday night, and had cut the Giants' division lead from 6 1/2 games to one since the All Star break.
Brandon Drury singled home Phil Gosselin with two outs in the seventh for Arizona's final run. Gosselin had been called out stretching a single into a double, but the Diamondbacks challenged the call and it was overturned after a 1-minute, 27-second review.
Jake Barrett got the final four outs for his third save.
Chris Owings broke out of a 2-for-22 slump by flaring an RBI single to the opposite field in the second for Arizona, which came into the game with a NL-leading .277 batting average against left-handed pitching.
Scott Van Slyke's RBI single scored Andrew Toles, who walked and took second base on a passed ball, made the score 4-1 in the seventh.
Corey Seager drilled his 30th double of the season with two outs in the third, tying the Dodgers' rookie record for doubles set by Eric Karros in 1992.
Shipley went 8-5 with a 3.69 ERA in 19 starts at Triple-A Reno before being called up. The 24-year-old right-hander lost his big league debut against Milwaukee on Monday night, giving up six runs in 5 1/3 innings.
WINNING FORMULA
The Diamondbacks improved their record to 20-1 this season when allowing three runs or fewer on the road, trailing only the 1981 Cardinals (21-1) in this scenario since 1901.
NO GOLD HERE
Paul Goldschmidt, who torched Los Angeles for 21 doubles, 24 home runs and 74 RBIs in his first 86 games against the Dodgers — including 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs in the series' opener — went 0 for 4 in this game.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Diamondbacks: Zach Greinke pitched three innings in a rehab start Friday night in an Arizona rookie league game interrupted by a thunderstorm. Greinke, who threw 52 pitches, is expected to make one more minor-league start before returning to the Diamondbacks in 10 days or so, said Manager Chip Hale. ... Arizona sent LHP Zac Curtis to Double-A and designated RHP Josh Collmenter and INF-OF Micahel Freeman for assignment on Saturday.
Dodgers: Los Angeles will make a decision in the next few days whether to activate INF Kike Hernandez (left ribcage inflammation). ... Nothing new on LHP Clayton Kershaw, who continues to rehab with core and back strengthening exercises. He has not resumed any baseball activities with no timetable for a return, said manager Dave Roberts.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: LHP Patrick Corbin will make his fourth start of the season against the Dodgers in the series finale on Sunday. Corbin is 0-2 with a 5.51 ERA this year, but has a 2-1 record with a 3.25 ERA in five career starts at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers: RHP Bud Norris (6-9,4.27) makes his seventh start for the Dodgers since being acquired from Atlanta in June. Over his last 10 games — including nine starts — Norris is 5-2 with a 3.40 ERA, striking out 59 batters in 53 innings.
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