Hong-Chih Kuo pitches like an all-star; Matt Kemp hits like one in Dodgers’ 3-1 victory over Arizona

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Really, that wasn’t fair. Anyone watching knew exactly what was going to happen; it was simply a matter of who.

Once starters Chad Billingsley and Dan Haren turned the 1-1 game over to their bullpens, the Dodgers were practically handed Sunday’s game.

Sure enough, Arizona suffered its predictable bullpen meltdown, this time a seemingly reinvigorated Matt Kemp slugging a two-run homer off Arizona’s Aaron Heilman in the eighth to leave the Dodgers with a 3-1 victory.

Arizona’s bullpen has been the plague to its season all year. It entered Sunday’s game with a 6.89 earned-run average, not only the worst in baseball, but over a whopping 1.50 higher than No.2 Milwaukee.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, followed Billingsley with Hong-Chih Kuo, who if not named to the National League All-Star team, certainly continues to pitch like one.

Kuo struck out six in two innings, not walking a batter and allowing one hit. When he struck out Adam LaRoche to end the eighth, it left left-handed hitters a stunning 0 for 30 against Kuo, with 16 strikeouts.

Kuo got the victory to raise his record to 3-1, lowing his ERA to an almost microscopic 1.03.

Jonathan Broxton, who was named to the All-Star team Sunday, retired the Diamondbacks in order in the ninth to earn his 17th save in 19 opportunities.

For Kemp, Sunday continued something of a resurgence. It followed his three-game benching for reasons never completely explained.

In his five games back, Kemp has hit three home runs with seven runs batted in.

Billingsley, in his second game back since coming off the disabled list, allowed the one run on seven hits and struck out eight.

At the midpoint of the season, the Dodgers are 45-36 and 23-6 against teams in the National League West.

-- Steve Dilbeck