Diamondbacks defeat slumping Dodgers 9-3

Ground balls that should have been outs were not. A foul pop that was not caught was ruled an out, leading to two ejections. A stolen base that was not, was. Yet one of the strangest games in an unusual NL West ended in the usual way this season. Diamondbacks 9, Los Angeles 3.

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The D-Backs (69-65) opened the final home series against their top division challenger with a decisive victory, pumping their NL West record to 35-19 and their lead over the Dodgers to 4 1/2 games with 28 to play. It is their biggest lead since June 21.

The Dodgers (65-70) have lost eight straight games, 10 of their last 11, and will face Dan Haren and Brandon Webb in the final two games of the series.

“It’s good to know we are going to be in first place no matter what happens” in this series, said Doug Davis, who gave up two runs in five innings for the victory.

“With 'Webby’ and Haren going, we have a chance to be up six games pretty easily.”

Jeff Salazar drove in a run with a pinch-hit single to extend the

D-Backs’ go-ahead, three-run rally in the fifth, and pinch-hitter Justin Upton – in his first game since July 8 – doubled to start a four-run seventh.

“It’s obviously big. Everyone knows we’re in the stretch run,” Salazar said.

“Once you get someone down, I’ve always been raised not to let your foot off. We have to keep grinding.”

Manager Bob Melvin was not around to see the D-Backs’ punctuation mark, a four-run seventh, having been thrown out by first base umpire Wally Bell for arguing an interference call.

Melvin was tossed after a fan leaned over the railing in foul territory down the first-base line to catch a Conor Jackson foul pop-up as Dodgers first baseman James Loney came sliding into the play, and Bell ruled that Loney could have made the catch. (The fan was thrown out, too.)

“I did say a bad word, so I deserved to get thrown out,” Melvin said. “I thought it would have been one heck of a play” had Loney made the catch.

That ended a bizarre three-run fifth inning that began with Chad Tracy’s single to right and included a walk to Chris Snyder, an error by shortstop Nomar Garciaparra that enabled the first run to score, Salazar’s single and a sacrifice fly by Stephen Drew for a 4-2 lead.

The Dodgers led, 2-1, in the top of the fifth inning in a rally that started when ASU product Andre Ethier beat Doug Davis to first base on a one-out grounder to first baseman Chad Tracy.

Two singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly later it was 2-1, although Ethier appeared to be thrown out attempting to steal third before anyone scored, raising an argument from third baseman Mark Reynolds.

The D-Backs countered in their fifth, then took the game over in the seventh, when Upton’s pinch-hit, leadoff double began a string of six straight base runners.

“The first one is real big for us, but we play each game individually,” Melvin said.