PHOENIX — Hiroki Kuroda made a successful return to the park where he was hit in the head nine months ago and Manny Ramirez had three RBIs to help the Los Angeles Dodgers complete a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 6-3 win Wednesday night.
Kuroda sustained a concussion when he was drilled in the side of the head by Rusty Ryal’s comebacker on Aug. 15.
The right-hander (4-1) struck out nine while allowing three runs, two earned, in 7 1-3 innings.
Andre Ethier added his 11th home run and had two RBIs for the Dodgers, who won their season-high fourth straight.
Jonathan Broxton allowed the tying run to get to the plate in the ninth before getting his fourth save in six attempts.
Adam LaRoche drove in all three runs for Arizona, which lost all six games of a homestand.
Edwin Jackson (1-5) gave up six runs on seven hits in 6 2-3 innings.
Kuroda, who returned three weeks after he was hurt, gave up a leadoff single to Conor Jackson before departing in the eighth with a 6-2 lead. Justin Upton and Mark Reynols later drew back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out, but Arizona managed only one run, on a sacrifice fly by LaRoche.
Tony Abreu greeted Broxton with a single and Cole Gillespie walked with one out, but the Dodgers closer fanned the next two batters to end the game.
The series sweep was the first of the year for Los Angeles, which improved to 7-11 on the road.
Arizona now heads to Atlanta and Florida to try and break out of its slump.
Trailing by one with two outs in the seventh, the Diamondbacks intentionally walked Ethier to load the bases for Ramirez. He responded by lining a three-run double off the wall in center for a 6-2 lead.
Matt Kemp’s single drove in Jamey Carroll in the fifth to put Los Angeles up 3-2.
Ethier started the scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth before LaRoche tied it with a two-run double in the bottom of the inning.
Notes: Seeking help for their struggling bullpen, the Diamondbacks called up RHP Carlos Rosa from Triple-A Reno prior to the game and optioned RHP Daniel Stange, who has a 13.50 ERA in four innings, to Reno. Manager A.J. Hinch indicated this could be the first of multiple moves involving his bullpen, which came into the day with a major-league worst 7.55 ERA. … Dodgers C Russell Martin extended his hitting streak to eight games. It is his longest since 2008. … The last time the Diamondbacks were swept on a homestand of at least six games was July 15-25, 2004, when they lost 11 straight.
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