Dodgers roll to 5th straight win

By BOB BAUM

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 1:02 a.m. ET May 22, 2012

PHOENIX (AP) - After two Tommy John elbow surgeries, a 6-1 start to the season is especially sweet to Chris Capuano.

"I couldn't be having any more fun playing the game right now," he said.

Matt Treanor, Andre Ethier and James Loney homered to give Capuano more than enough support and the Los Angeles Dodgers won their fifth straight by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 on Monday night.

Capuano (6-1) allowed one run on four hits in six innings, striking out five and walking one.

"He's an outstanding guy, obviously," said Treanor, his catcher. "Anytime somebody, you know how hard they work to get back in the game and get back in the big leagues, to be able to perform at a high level, that's a tribute to him and his work effort. You can't feel nothing but good for him."

Treanor gave the Dodgers left-hander all the runs he needed with his first homer of the season, a two-run shot off Patrick Corbin (2-3) in the second.

"It's funny, when you least expect it, it happens," Treanor said. "I was just trying to stay in the middle part of the field and get the barrel out. I hit it and I really didn't think it was going to leave the ballpark, but I hit it good and it ended up going out."

Ethier's solo home run into the swimming pool area in right-center came off reliever Craig Breslow in the seventh and raised his NL-best RBI total to 38.

Loney added a two-run homer deep into the right-field seats off Bryan Shaw in the eighth. It came one pitch after Justin Sellers' first career triple brought in the Dodgers' fourth run of the night.

The Diamondbacks have lost eight of nine home games and 13 of their last 16. The NL West-leading Dodgers have their third winning streaks of at least five games and are 5-2 since Matt Kemp went on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain.

"Right now, it's just momentum," manager Don Mattingly said. "You get momentum, get rolling, then you're playing with a purpose. That's all."

Arizona catcher Miguel Montero sustained what the Diamondbacks termed "a mild right groin strain" when he chased a foul ball to the screen in the sixth. He finished the top of the inning, but was lifted in favor of Henry Blanco when his time to bat came in the bottom of the sixth.

Jerry Sands led off the second with a single. After Ivan De Jesus struck out, Treanor hit the first pitch he saw into the left-field seats and the Dodgers led 2-0.

Capuano was perfect through three innings before Willie Bloomquist led off the fourth with a line shot off the wall in left-center, about a foot below the home run line, for a triple. Aaron Hill followed with an RBI single up the middle to cut the lead to 2-1. Chris Young, in his first home game since returning from the disabled list (bruised right shoulder), singled with two outs to put runners at first and second, but Capuano nabbed Jason Kubel's line drive up the middle, an ice cream cone grab with the ball sticking out of the top of his glove, to end the inning.

"It's more self-defense than anything," Capuano said of the play. "I was just happy that I looked in my glove and I had it."

De Jesus singled off Shaw to lead off the eighth, then scored when Sellers tripled to the gap in right-center. Loney, who entered the game in a double-switch in the seventh, hit his second home run of the season.

Corbin gave up two runs on six hits in 5 1-3 innings, striking out three and walking two.

"Basically that one pitch, a fastball, I just left it up a little bit," he said, referring to Treanor's homer. "I was trying to get ahead with the fastball. I left it up a little bit more than I would like and he put a good swing on it."

Notes: Arizona 3B Josh Bell got the start after being recalled from Triple-A Reno earlier in the day, with the Diamondbacks designating INF Cody Ransom for assignment. Bell was 1 for 3 with two strikeouts and committed an error. ... Capuano broke into the majors with Arizona, going 2-4 with a 4.64 ERA in nine appearances, five as a starter in 2003. ... Capuano's single in the second was his second hit of the season. ... The Dodgers send Aaron Harang (3-2, 3.83 ERA) to the mound and Arizona goes with Trevor Cahill (2-4, 4.01) Tuesday night in the second game of the three-game series.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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