issues. He will return to Los Angeles for further evalua

CINCINNATI -- Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admits to feeling fortunate that his club is in the thick of the pennant race despite myriad injuries, most notably the herniated disk that has kept ace Clayton Kershaw out for nearly two months, but Roberts says hes not surprised.Were right where we need to be in the race coming into September, he said. If you look at what weve endured (with injuries), I feel fortunate. Thats fair to say to be within a half game of first place. Am I surprised? No. With the players we have, Im not. Our guys are focused on winning baseball games. Thats what we need to do moving forward.LA will face the Cincinnati Reds on Monday afternoon in the finale of a four-game series.The Dodgers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory on Sunday behind six shutout innings from 20-year-old rookie left-hander Julio Urias.Left-hander Scott Kazmir will start for Los Angeles. Kazmir picked up his 10th victory on Wednesday, allowing two runs and eight hits in five innings of a 7-2 Dodgers win.He has been stellar away from Dodger Stadium, going 6-0 with a 4.77 ERA on the road while limiting opponents to a .223 average.Kazmir last faced Cincinnati on May 25 when he gave up one run and four hits in six innings of a 3-1 win on May 25 in Los Angeles. In two career starts against the Reds, Kazmir has gone 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA with 17 strikeouts and just three walks in 13 innings.Getting Homer Bailey back from injury has been a boost for Cincinnati. On Sunday, Bailey will make his fifth start of the season and 10th career start against the Dodgers.Coming off multiple arm surgeries, Bailey has gone 2-1 with a 3.66 ERA in four starts. Shortly after signing a six-year, $105 million contract, the injuries came hard and fast for the former first-round draft choice and owner of two no-hitters.On September 15, 2014, Bailey had surgery to repair the torn flexor tendon in his right forearm. Then, on May 8, 2015, he had Tommy John surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.Early returns indicate that Bailey has come back stronger than ever. He has gone 4-3 with a 3.84 ERA in nine career starts against the Dodgers.The Reds have gone 21-13 since the All-Star break and have won eight of 10 series. Theyll have a chance to make it nine of 11 with a win over the Dodgers on Monday.Cincinnati will have both right fielder Scott Schebler and first baseman Joey Votto back in the lineup after both got days off Sunday.After residing in last place in the National League Central for 98 straight days, the Reds were in fourth, a half-game ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers after Sundays loss.We were on a prodigious run lately, Reds manager Bryan Price said. Like the Jeffersons said, were moving on up. Adam Duvall Braves Jersey . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. Julio Teheran Braves Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. http://www.baseballbravesproshop.com/nick-markakis-braves-jersey/ . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Orlando Cepeda Jersey . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Darren ODay Jersey . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. LOS ANGELES -- Brock Stewart has been everywhere this season, starting way down at Single-A. Nows he a winning pitcher in the major leagues.He became the fourth consecutive rookie starter to pick up a win, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory and a sweep of the three-game series.Its been a whirlwind, said Stewart, who was hoping someone would give him the game ball afterward. To get my first win at this level is definitely a special feeling.The Dodgers started four consecutive rookies for the second straight week while their battered rotation slowly comes back. Jose De Leon, Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling and Stewart combined to go 4-0 with a 2.82 ERA.According to Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time in franchise history that the Dodgers won four straight games with a rookie starter getting the win each time. The last team to do so was Oakland from Sept. 9-12, 2012.All those young guys have given us quality starts, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. This is definitely a crash course, a nice immersion in the big leagues.From Single-A, Stewart made his way to Double-A and Triple-A before getting called up by the Dodgers. He has a 1.38 ERA in his last three major league games (two starts) since Aug. 14.Stewart (1-2) allowed one run and five hits in five innings, struck out one and walked two.I found out I could pitch without my best stuff, he said. Thats definitely a confidence boost.Yasiel Puig homered and drove in another run for the Dodgers, who increased their lead in the NL West to a season-high five games over San Francisco, which lost 6-5 at Colorado.The Dodgers open a 10-game road trip -- longest of the season -- on Friday against former manager Don Mattingly in Miami, where ace Clayton Kershaw is set to start after missing the last two months because of a herniated disk.Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 43rd save in 49 chances, leaving him one shy of his career-high set in 2014.Puig homered with one out in the sixth, extending the Dodgers lead to 3-1.Los Angeles scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the first. Corey Seager doubled into the right field corner, bringing home Howie Kendrick who had walked and narrowly avoided getting tagged in a head-first slide at the plate. Puigs sacrifice fly scored Seager, making it 2-1.Arizonas lone run came on Paul Goldschmidts RBI double with two outs in the first. The D-backs were outscored 18-5 in the series.dddddddddddd.Arizonas Robbie Ray (7-13) gave up three runs and two hits in six innings. The left-hander struck out 12 and walked four.Its always nice to strike out a lot of guys, Ray said, but when you dont get the win it doesnt matter.Clinging to a 3-1 lead, the Dodgers bullpen squelched threats in the seventh and eighth innings.The D-backs loaded the bases in the seventh. Reliever Jesse Chavez gave up consecutive singles to pinch-hitter Phil Gosselin and Jean Segura before retiring the next two batters. He intentionally walked Goldschmidt and then Grant Dayton came on and struck out pinch-hitter Rickie Weeks Jr. to end the inning.Deep breath, just trying to execute pitches, Dayton said. It was a huge moment.In the eighth, Pedro Baez entered and struck out Yasmany Tomas and Chris Hermann before walking pinch-hitter Mitch Haniger. He needed six pitches to retire Gosselin on a groundout to shortstop.TRAINERS ROOMD-backs: C Welington Castillo was scratched shortly before the game with tightness in his shoulder and was replaced by Hermann.Dodgers: LHP Scott Kazmir experienced a setback in his rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City and left early with neck and ribcage issues. He will return to Los Angeles for further evaluation. He threw 33 pitches and gave up a three-run homer, walked two and hit two batters.CALLING THE `PENThe Dodgers used eight pitchers, tying a record for a nine-inning game. Three of them faced just one batter each in the sixth, keeping the bullpen phone busy.We got, what, 28 guys down there, Dayton said. We know its going to ring.SWEEPING UPThe Dodgers earned their sixth series sweep of the season and first over the D-backs since June 8-10, 2015. They are 38-15 against Arizona since 2014 and won the season series (10-5) for the third straight year.UP NEXTD-backs: RHP Braden Shipley (3-3, 4.94) starts the opener of a three-game home series against San Francisco. He is 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA in four starts when throwing six-plus innings.Dodgers: Kershaw (11-2, 1.79) starts Friday for the first time since June 26 after missing two months with mild disk herniation. He allowed a season-high five runs and seven hits in seven innings against Miami at home on April 26 in a 6-3 loss. He struck out 10 and didnt issue a walk. Kershaw is 5-3 with a 2.40 ERA in 10 career starts against the Marlins. ' ' '