LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers added another high-profile player to their lineup when they acquired Shane Victorino from the Philadelphia Phillies in the waning hours before the non-waiver trade deadline expired.
Too bad they couldn't get Paul Goldschmidt too — because in the first two games of their series with the Arizona Diamondbacks' the second-year first baseman demonstrated just how much he enjoys hitting at Chavez Ravine.
Goldschmidt homered in the first inning for the second straight game, Miguel Montero added a three-run shot and rookie Wade Miley pitched eight dominant innings for the Diamondbacks in an 8-2 victory over the Dodgers on Tuesday night.
Goldschmidt had the D-Backs' first three hits against Chris Capuano, making him 8-for-10 lifetime against him.
"He's a tough out right now, especially for left-handers," Capuano said. "He covers the plate on balls away and is quick enough to foul pitches off that are up when you try to get it by him. So he's a tough assignment."
Capuano (10-7) allowed five runs, six hits and three walks in six innings with six strikeouts. The left-hander, an eighth-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks in 1999, is 1-4 with a 4.66 ERA in his last five starts — a stretch that began with a 7-1 loss at Arizona on July 8.
"I had some quick innings early and seemed to have trouble executing pitches with guys on base," Capuano said. "I need to spend a little more time in the bullpen before the game, because right now my mechanics don't quite feel as good from the stretch position as from the windup. I'm rushing a little bit, and I'm just not making the same quality pitches."
Goldschmidt, whose three-run homer Monday night against Aaron Harang ignited a 7-2 Diamondbacks victory, drove Capuano's 1-2 pitch into the lower seats in the left field corner for his 15th of the season after a two-out walk to Jason Kubel.
"I can't explain it," Goldschmidt said when asked why he has so much success against Capuano. "Maybe next time he'll punch me out four times, so we'll see what happens. I'm sure he didn't like where some of those pitches were. They were good pitches to hit. When guys make mistakes, sometimes you hit them, sometimes you foul them off."
Capuano returned to the dugout after that inning and slammed his glove against the wall before taking a seat — but he was back on his feet moments later congratulating Mark Ellis on his one-out solo homer.
"I'm not happy with the way I've been attacking the left-handers like Kubel the last couple of games," Capuano said. "I feel like I have an advantage against those guys, and I need to be hitting my spots. I was frustrated by the walk. I also get frustrated when I get a guy 0-2 or 1-2 and put one in a zone where he can hit it."
Justin Upton, the subject of numerous trade rumors on Tuesday, followed Goldschmidt's third hit of the game with another two-out single in the sixth, and Montero made it 5-1 with a towering drive into the bullpen in right on a 2-0 count — one pitch after Capuano got a visit from pitching coach Rick Honeycutt.
Arizona tacked on three more in the ninth when Chris Young scored on Upton's fielder's choice grounder and Chris Johnson hit a two-run single with the bases loaded. Johnson had a grand slam in Monday night in his Diamondbacks debut after coming over in a trade from Houston, and is 4-for-8 with his new club.
Miley (12-6) allowed just three hits, struck out seven and walked one. The left-hander's only other start at Dodger Stadium was on May 15, when he allowed a run over 6 1-3 innings in a 5-1 win over Chad Billingsley.
The Dodgers' loss, coupled with San Francisco's 4-1 win over the Mets, dropped Los Angeles behind the NL West-leading Giants while the Diamondbacks remained 3 1-2 games off the pace.
NOTES: Dodgers C Matt Treanor went 0-for-2 with a walk while his wife, Misty May Treanor, was half a world away preparing for her next beach volleyball match at the London Olympics on Wednesday. She is vying for her third Olympic gold medal. ... Capuano is 3-10 with five no-decisions when he has given up a homer in the first inning. ... When Victorino makes his Dodgers debut on Wednesday afternoon against D-Backs' Triple-A callup Patrick Corbin, he will become the eighth player manager Don Mattingly will have used in the leadoff spot this season, and the ninth to start in left field.
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