Dodgers’ bullpen strategy works again as Matt Kemp’s home run provides 1-0 victory

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Get to the bullpen.

As strategies go, pretty simple. Executing it, however, is not always so easy.

Not when Arizona’s Dan Haren has suddenly rediscovered his inner ace. Haren, who was 1-3 with a 7.92 earned-run average in his previous four starts, on Tuesday night was once again throwing like a three-time All-Star.

Happily for the Dodgers, John Ely matched all the zeroes Haren put up on the board, not even allowing a hit until the fifth.

Continuing his remarkable run, Ely threw seven shutout innings, allowing only two hits and lowering his ERA to 2.54.

The trouble for the Dodgers was, Haren was throwing just as well.

And since the Diamondbacks have the worst bullpen in the major leagues (7.70 ERA), they were understandably in no hurry to pull Haren from the game.

In the eighth inning, with a runner on second and one out, Diamondbacks Manager A.J. Hinch even allowed Haren to bat. Haren, who was batting .412, flied out to center and pitched one more inning.

The Diamondbacks then went to Aaron Heilman, practically their only reliable reliever, who threw a scoreless ninth.

In the 10th, however, the Dodgers’ strategy paid off. Arizona called on Juan Gutierrez and his 10.31 ERA. The second batter he faced, Matt Kemp, lined a solo home run to left and the Dodgers had a 1-0 victory.

In a battle of bullpens, the Dodgers figured to easily win. Though they haven’t approached last season’s success, they are headed in the right direction. The bullpen had a 4.81 in April, a 3.73 mark in May.

Ronald Belisario, Hong-Chih Kuo and Jeff Weaver (3-1) each completed an inning in the 10-inning shutout for the Dodgers.

--Steve Dilbeck