30Aug/0811:47 PM

Manny, Dodgers bury Diamondbacks 6-2

By Vince Marotta

The Skinny: Most teams’ pitchers have a really hard time getting Manny Ramirez out. For pitchers of the Arizona Diamondbacks, it is nearly an impossible task. Ramirez went 4 for 5 with 2 home runs and 2 runs batted in as the Los Angeles Dodgers broke their 8-game losing streak with a 6-2 win over the D-Backs at Chase Field. Ramirez opened the scoring with a solo homer off of Dan Haren in the 3rd inning. Manny then homered in the 7th inning to make it 6-1. Ramirez is hitting .483 (14 for 29) on the season against the Diamondbacks, with 3 homers and 7 rbis. Chad Billingsley pitched decently for the Dodgers, going 7 innings and allowing just 2 runs while picking up his 13th win on the season.

Diamondbacks Player of the Game: Chris Young was about the only bright spot for the Diamondbacks. Young had 3 hits, and drove in both Arizona runs with a triple in the 3rd inning and a double in the 8th.

What’s up with Haren?: Dan Haren’s name has been mentioned in Cy Young discussion for much of the season. But recently Haren has been relatively average, including his performance on Saturday night. Haren gave up 10 hits in 6 innings on Saturday, and has allowed 55 hits over his last 6 starts (38.1 innings). His ERA over that same period is 5.63. His record fell to 14-7 on the season.

Repercussions: The Dodgers creep back to within 3.5 games of the Diamondbacks with the win.

Scoreboard watching: Colorado failed to pick up ground on the Diamondbacks, by losing to San Diego 9-4, so the Rockies remain 6 games behind the D-Backs in the NL West standings.

MLB.com : Recap | Boxscore

Here’s what others are saying about the Manny Ramirez show at Chase Field on Saturday night…

Dodgers end skid behind Ramirez [AZ Central]

Manny, L.A. pop D-Backs [East Valley Trib]

It all goes like clockwork as Dodgers end skid [L.A. Times]

Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 2 [L.A. Daily News]

Derek Lowe goes to the hill for the Dodgers in the rubber game of this 3-game series. He’ll be faced by Diamondbacks’ right-hander Brandon Webb, who once again attempts to notch his 20th win. First pitch is at 5:10 PM at Chase Field.