Ethier walks and jumps in win

A bases-loaded walk to Andre Ethier in the seventh inning scored Juan Pierre to give the Dodgers a 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Arizona reliever Clay Zavada issued the walk to Ethier after Pierre walked, Rafael Furcal doubled and Matt Kemp was walked intentionally.

Ethier also helped preserve the victory when he leaped against the right-field wall to catch a fly ball hit by Brandon Allen in the eighth inning.

Pitcher Vicente Padilla, hoping to win his second game in as many starts since joining the Dodgers, left after 5 1/3 innings with a 3-1 lead, thanks partly to Kemp hitting a home run in his fourth consecutive game.

But the Dodgers’ bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. After Padilla left, Scott Elbert -- who was called up Tuesday -- gave up a single to Miguel Montero, a walk to Gerardo Parra and a pinch-hit single to Rusty Ryal that scored Montero.

Ronald Belisario took over for Elbert and gave up another pinch-hit single to John Hester that scored Parra and tied it at 3-3.

After Kemp hit his homer against Arizona starter Yusmeiro Petit in the first inning, his 23rd of the season, Kemp got a bunt single in the third inning and stole second base. Arizona right fielder Justin Upton caught Ethier’s fly ball, but his throw deflected off Kemp, who scored all the way from second.

Padilla helped his cause in the second inning on a muggy night in front of 45,433 when he singled to score Russell Martin.

The Colorado Rockies also won, so they remained 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Dodgers in the National League West. But the San Francisco Giants lost to fall to 6 1/2 games back.

Kuroda’s rehab

Pitching confidently and showing no ill effects from being struck in the head by a line drive last month, Hiroki Kuroda gave up one unearned run in five innings Tuesday night in a rehabilitation start with the Dodgers’ Class-A team in San Bernardino.

Kuroda has been on the disabled list since the incident at Chase Field on Aug. 15.

“I didn’t really think at all out there about what happened in Arizona,” Kuroda said through an interpreter after giving up five hits in his stint with the Inland Empire 66ers. “I felt good.”

Before Kuroda’s outing, Dodgers Manager Joe Torre had said “Kuroda is sort of penciled in for Sunday” to start against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. “We’ve got to see what happens tonight.”

What a trip

For outfielder Jason Repko and catcher A.J. Ellis, the call-up was more like a long haul.

Told that they were being promoted with Elbert from triple-A Albuquerque on the day major league rosters expanded, Repko and Ellis loaded their families into their respective cars Monday night and made the 11-hour drive to Los Angeles.

Repko said he drove nine hours and Ellis eight, with their wives spelling them for the remainder of the trip.

Ellis said that he and his family were somewhere in Arizona when he saw a sign that said the next gas station was 56 miles ahead.

“The next thing I know, we start going up a hill and our gas goes down,” he said. “I started to panic.” But his wife found an off-route station nearby.

To clear spots on the 40-man roster for Jim Thome and Jon Garland, the Dodgers designated Jamie Hoffmann for assignment and moved Travis Schlichting to the 60-day disabled list.

--

james.peltz@latimes.com

Times staff writer Dylan Hernandez contributed to this report.