Lowe's sinker helps Dodgers coast past Phillies

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Derek Lowe has his nasty sinker back.

Lowe pitched seven solid innings, Andre Ethier and James Loney each drove in three runs, and Matt Kemp had a career-high four hits to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers over the injury-depleted Philadelphia Phillies 15-3 on Wednesday night.

Ethier had a two-run homer and an RBI double and Kemp was 4-for-6 with two RBIs for Los Angeles, which set a season high for runs and won for the fifth time in seven games.

Lowe (10-11) allowed three runs and six hits. The right-hander got 15 outs on grounders to win his second straight start after a two-month winless drought.

"It's good to see him back throwing the ball like he is now," Dodgers manager Grady Little said.

Lowe pitched seven shutout innings against Houston last Friday to earn his first victory since June 22.

"I've been pitching on the ground the last two games," he said. "Having been part of playoff teams in the past, I realize how important the last six weeks are. You really want to be as sharp as you possibly can."

Before the game, the Phillies placed ace Cole Hamels on the disabled list with an elbow strain. The All-Star left-hander became the 19th player to land on the DL this season for Philadelphia.

Despite the injuries, the Phillies remain in the hunt for the playoffs. They remained five games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets and fell one game behind San Diego in the wild-card race.

J.D. Durbin (5-3) allowed five runs -- four earned -- and seven hits in six innings after moving up one day to take Hamels' spot.

"Cole going down is a big hit for us," Durbin said. "I have to do a better job executing pitches."

Fabio Castro will become the 12th pitcher to start for the Phillies this season and fourth to make his first career start when he pitches the series finale on Thursday. Durbin had one start in the majors three years ago before joining the Phillies.

Chris Coste hit a two-run homer for Philadelphia.

"We have to get consistent pitching day in and day out to get us enough wins to get in the playoffs," manager Charlie Manuel said.

The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the first inning. After Kemp reached on third baseman Greg Dobbs' error with one out to put two runners on, Jeff Kent flied to center for the second out. But Ethier followed with a double to score Rafael Furcal. Kemp was thrown out at home on the play.

One pitch after Kent doubled in the fourth, Ethier ripped a liner into the seats in right-center for his 10th homer to make it 3-0.

Los Angeles put it away with a five-run seventh against reliever Jose Mesa. Loney had a two-run single during the inning.

"We were struggling a little bit, but we knew we were going to start winning some games," Kemp said. "Everybody knows how good we are and how good we can play. Hopefully we just keep it up."

Game notes
Lowe retired his first nine batters before Jimmy Rollins doubled. ... Kent's run-scoring double in the sixth gave him 1,445 RBIs, tying Joe Carter for 54th on the career list. ... Dodgers CF Juan Pierre extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a seventh-inning single. ... C Mike Lieberthal, who spent his entire career with the Phillies before going to Los Angeles this season, singled as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. He got a mixed reaction from the fans when he was introduced, but a few more cheers after his hit.