Major League Baseball

Diamondbacks 6, Dodgers 4

Published Jul. 31, 2011 7:50 a.m. ET

foxsports

On a day when Arizona prepared to welcome Jason Marquis and Los Angeles said goodbye to Rafael Furcal, Justin Upton surprisingly had only good things to say about his new teammate - and Micah Owings pledged to do whatever he can to help the Diamondbacks win.

Upton greeted Matt Guerrier with a go-ahead, three-run double in the sixth inning and Arizona climbed within three games of the NL West lead with a 6-4 victory over the Dodgers on Saturday night.

The trade for Marquis means someone will pushed out of the Diamondbacks' rotation - possibly Owings (5-0) or Josh Collmenter, who gave up five runs over 3 2-3 innings in his series-opening 9-5 loss on Friday.

''I'm real about what's going on,'' Owings said. ''I told the guys after my last start, whatever I can do to help us win, I'm focused on winning and I'm there wherever they want me.''

Owings allowed four runs and six hits over five innings, including a two-run homer by NL RBI leader Matt Kemp. The right-hander left for a pinch hitter when the Diamondbacks parlayed two hits and four walks into a five-run sixth that put them ahead 6-4.

Arizona sent minor league infielder Zachary Walters to Washington for Marquis, who is 8-5 with a 3.95 ERA in 20 starts this season. But there was some unpleasant history between the 12-year veteran and his new club.

On June 5 at Phoenix, Marquis was ejected in the sixth inning for hitting Upton with a pitch, the fourth time he was plunked in that four-game series. He did it following a warning from plate umpire Rod Drake, after Arizona's Ian Kennedy hit Jayson Werth.

''It wasn't too strange to hear about it. He's going to help us out down the stretch, so we're excited to have him,'' Upton said. ''It won't be awkward at all. A few years back, I met Jason at the All-Star game, and he's a good dude, man. I mean, when you're between the lines, a lot of things happen. I'm a competitor and so is he. So we're excited to have that competitor in our clubhouse now.''

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly and general manager Ned Colletti were measuring their words carefully before the game when asked to shed light on the status of a proposed trade that would send Furcal to St. Louis.

The two-time All-Star shortstop was held out of the lineup Saturday, but participated in batting practice and pregame drills. He was not in the dugout in the ninth inning when Mattingly used Eugenio Velez to hit for reliever Josh Lindblom.

Furcal cleaned out his locker, but the Dodgers made no formal announcement that he was traded.

''Raffy's got a lot of friends here, so we're sad to see him go and we're going to miss him,'' second baseman Aaron Miles said. ''He's been a big part of this team. It's been tough for him to get on the field this year, but he's going to a great team and a great organization. It's a real good opportunity for him and I wish him the best.''

Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley (9-9) was charged with six runs and seven hits over 5 2-3 innings. He struck out four and tied a season high with five walks. One of them was to No. 8 hitter Gerardo Parra with the bases loaded and none out in the sixth. Xavier Nady batted for Owings and hit a sacrifice fly, reducing the Dodgers' lead to 4-3.

''Billingsley was pounding the zone earlier, but he just wasn't locating in the sixth and we took advantage of it,'' Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. ''That's what you have to do. You have to recognize it and just lay off the pitches that are just marginally off the plate. That's what we did.''

Another walk to Kelly Johnson on Billingsley's 103rd and final pitch loaded the bases again, and Upton hit a drive to center field that got past Kemp and cleared the bases. The three RBIs increased Upton's team-high total to 65, just four fewer than he had last season in 133 games.

Kemp came up in the seventh, representing the potential tying run, but Bryan Shaw struck him out with a runner at third. J.J. Putz, the sixth Arizona pitcher, pitched a hitless ninth for his 23rd save in 27 attempts and second since coming off the disabled list last Tuesday.

The Diamondbacks also loaded the bases with none out in the second, but all they could get out of it was a sacrifice fly from Willie Bloomquist. Right fielder Andre Ethier prevented two more runs when he robbed Johnson of extra bases with a lunging catch while going full speed toward the warning track.

The Dodgers grabbed a 3-1 lead in the third. Casey Blake, in his first game off the disabled list, hit a sacrifice fly one pitch after a one-out triple by Tony Gwynn Jr. Ethier singled with two outs and Kemp deposited Owings' 2-1 pitch into the pavilion seats in left-center for his 26th homer, raising his RBI total to 82.

Jamey Carroll's line drive up the middle through a drawn-in infield increased the margin to 4-1 in the fourth.

NOTES: RHP Hiroki Kuroda informed Colletti he decided not to waive the no-trade clause in his contract. Kuroda was the subject of considerable trade speculation prior to Sunday's non-waiver trade deadline. ''In my heart of hearts, knowing him like I know him, I'm not surprised that is the way he felt,'' Colletti said. ''I would have been more surprised if he had said, 'OK, I'll go somewhere else.' In a way, it's refreshing. He made a commitment to sign here, and he wants to fulfill that commitment.''