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GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kevin Brown missed a rematch with Randy
Johnson by one day.
And judging by the way the Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander
pitched Thursday night, Johnson was fortunate.
Brown pitched a four-hitter for his third straight complete
game, and the Dodgers scored quickly in Todd Stottlemyre's return
to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-0.
On May 10 at Phoenix, neither Brown nor Johnson got a decision
in a game the Diamondbacks won 2-1.
"I don't go out there in any game and say, well, it's OK for me
to give up two or three runs because someone else is pitching
against me. My approach is the same every night," Brown said.
"I don't look at it as whether I'm facing Randy, or whoever.
I'm not looking at the pitcher. I'm looking at the team. The only
time I'm worrying about the pitcher is when he's standing up there
with a bat."
Brown (6-2) used 115 pitches en route to his 17th career
shutout, his first since last Sept. 4 at Chicago. He struck out 10
and walked none, lowering his ERA to 2.18, second in the NL behind
Johnson's 1.40.
"It's always tough to face Brown," Arizona right fielder
Bernard Gilkey said. "He's very competitive, and it's always a
challenge. He was good tonight and he did the job."
Stottlemyre (8-4), activated from the disabled list before the
game, was down 3-0 after six pitches, giving up home runs to Todd
Hollandsworth and Gary Sheffield around Mark Grudzielanek's double.
"They came out swinging the bats and really jumped me early,"
Stottlemyre said. "They were aggressive early in the counts
throughout the game. And by the time I recognized it, it was
already 3-0.
"By no means am I going to stand here and say I made bad
pitches. They're major league hitters -- and good hitters. And when
you spot Kevin Brown three runs, you know you're in for a tough
night."
Stottlemyre, coming off the fourth stint on the disabled list in
his 13-year career, hadn't pitched for the Diamondbacks since May
29, when he was forced out after 5 1-3 innings against St. Louis
because of tendinitis in his right elbow. This time, he allowed
three runs and five hits in six innings.
"At this level, everything's so result-oriented," Stottlemyre
said. "I've always said that I'd rather win 10-9 than lose. But at
the same time, after being out for 15 days, my arm felt good. I
threw the ball better from the second inning on and I was really
letting the ball go. My velocity was good, along with my breaking
ball and my command."
Hollandsworth, playing for the first time after missing 11 games
with a strained right hamstring, drove Stottlemyre's first pitch to
left-center for his fifth homer, his fourth leading off a game.
Grudzielanek doubled two pitches later and Sheffield hit a 1-1
pitch for his 19th home run.
Stottlemyre allowed only two more hits -- a single and a double
by Hollandsworth. Stottlemyre struck out seven, including
Sheffield, Shawn Green and Eric Karros in succession in the third.
"It was a real positive tonight, as well as he pitched,"
Arizona manager Buck Showalter said. "I was real proud of Todd.
That was as good a five innings as he's pitched in a long time. But
there's not much margin for error with Kevin Brown holding the
stuff he was holding tonight."
Brown gave up a leadoff double by Tony Womack over the
outstretched glove of Sheffield in the first inning and stranded
him at third by striking out Matt Williams. The Diamondbacks got
only one more runner through the sixth, when Kelly Stinnett led off
the third with a double. Karros added an RBI single in the eighth against Vicente
Padilla.
Game notes
Arizona optioned OF Turner Ward to Triple-A Tucson. ...
Steve Finley was 0-for-14 in the series with six strikeouts and is
5-for-27 (.185) in seven games against the Dodgers -- after coming
into this season with a .289 career average and 18 homers against
them. ... Green singled in the eighth inning, the 45th consecutive
game in which he has reached based with either a hit or a walk.
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