Davis, D'Backs shut out Dodgers 1-0 2 hours, 3 minutes ago

Davis, D'Backs shut out Dodgers 1-0 2 hours, 3 minutes ago



LOS ANGELES - Doug Davis allowed three hits over eight innings and batterymate Chris Snyder homered in the eighth, leading Arizona to a 1-0 victory over Los Angeles and extending the Diamondbacks' lead over the Dodgers to two games in the NL West.

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The Barry Bonds traveling circus, which consumed everyone's attention over the previous three nights with the San Francisco Giants in town, was replaced by a real pennant race and an old-fashioned pitcher's duel between Davis and Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley.

After the Dodgers went out in order in the seventh, stadium organist Nancy Bea Hefley serenaded the crowd of 51,582 to a few choruses of "I've Got Plenty of Nothing." Snyder than drove Billingsley's second pitch of the eighth just inside the left field pole for his ninth homer.

Davis (8-10), who had only 82 pitches in the bank to that point, was allowed to stay in the game instead of being lifted for a pinch-hitter. He pitched one more scoreless inning before Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth for his 32nd save in 37 chances.

Davis struck out five, walked one and allowed only one runner past first base.

Billingsley (7-2), who has lost his last two starts, allowed five hits and two walks over 7 2-3 innings and struck out eight. The Diamondbacks, who got only three hits against Jake Peavy and two relievers in Thursday night's 11-0 loss at San Diego, did not get a runner past first base until Snyder's home run.

Juan Pierre singled in the first inning, stole second and advanced to third with two out when Davis' high pickoff throw sailed into center field off the glove of second baseman Orlando Hudson. But Pierre was stranded when Olmedo Saenz — starting in the cleanup spot for the first time since last Aug. 6 — flied out to right field.

Second baseman Jeff Kent, the Dodgers' regular cleanup hitter, sat out his fourth straight game because of a strained left hamstring.

Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, already playing on a sore leg, grounded into a force play in the sixth and then was caught off the base twice by Davis. The first time, he was able to scamper around first baseman Conor Jackson's attempted tag and dive back to the bag. But the next time Davis went into the stretch and threw over, Martin was tagged out in a rundown by shortstop Stephen Drew.

Notes:@ According to Dodgers team spokesman Josh Rawitch, 60 daily press credentials were distributed for the series opener with the Diamondbacks — as opposed to 300 for each of the three games against the Giants. ... Saenz, making his 10th start this season and sixth at first base, was 0-for-3 and has only five hits in his last 43 at-bats since May 26. He is 1-for-12 lifetime against Davis. ... Byun-Hyung Kim, the Diamondbacks' closer when they won the World Series in 2001, returned to the club on Friday when they claimed him off waivers from the Florida Marlins. INF Jeff Cirillo also was claimed off waivers from Minnesota, reuniting him with former Seattle manager Bob Melvin. ... To make room for Kim and Cirillo on the 40-man roster, the D'Backs transferred Randy Johnson from the 60-day disabled list and designated INF Brian Barden for assignment.