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Cahill hurls 6 1/3 strong for his 10th win

Sure, the Dodgers have struggled plenty since acquiring Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett from Boston in a blockbuster deal last month. During that time, they're just 6-10.

But the second National League Wild Card spot remains a distinct possibility if they can turn around their current slump, because no one seems to want to take a firm grasp of it.

On Wednesday, the Dodgers face the D-backs, who have taken advantage of the poor play by the favorites in the NL playoff hunt. Despite plenty of early struggles, Arizona now trails St. Louis by five games in the race for the final spot. Los Angeles is only one game back.

Aaron Harang gets the ball for the Dodgers Wednesday, coming off an up-and-down start against the Padres. He allowed each of the first three men he faced to score, but managed to work his way out of trouble and pitched five solid innings.

Still, the Dodgers had to go to their bullpen early, and it ended up costing them in a 4-3 loss. Afterward, Harang lamented his inability to work deeper into the ballgame.

"You want to get in through the sixth into the seventh, maybe the eighth inning to try to give [the bullpen] a break, especially this point in the year," Harang said. "With that long first inning throwing a lot of pitches, that ultimately hurt me in going out there for a sixth inning."

D-backs righty Trevor Cahill opposes Harang, coming off a start in which he took a no-hitter into the seventh. He surrendered two runs in a start he desperately needed following a line of 0-2 with a 5.08 ERA in six August starts.

"The defense was good behind me, and I was just trying to let them put it in play, just trying to work down in the zone," said Cahill. "That was just kind of the game plan."

Both pitchers will be working on unusual six days' rest because each team had off-days Thursday and Monday.

Dodgers: Kemp, Gordon return
Matt Kemp and Dee Gordon made their returns to the Dodgers on Tuesday -- Kemp after missing two games with shoulder inflammation and Gordon after missing 57 games following thumb surgery.

Kemp went 1-for-3, while Gordon only came in to pinch-run in the eighth. Gordon's appearance was his first since he injured his thumb sliding into third base on July 4.

As for Kemp, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said, "I can't say he's 100 percent, I'm sure he's not, but he feels good and is ready to go."

D-backs: Young on the mend
D-backs center fielder Chris Young is optimistic he could return to the lineup in the near future. He hasn't started since he injured his right quad on Sept. 3.

Young had an MRI exam on Tuesday that revealed a strain, and he ran before batting practice.

"Just a mild strain," Young said. "It's just based on when I feel like I can go 100 percent. The MRI didn't change anything as far as how I'm treating it. I want to get back as soon as possible. But being a center fielder, you can't come back at 70 percent. As a center fielder, you have to be able to cover a lot of ground."

Worth noting
• D-backs catcher Miguel Montero has nine hits and three walks in 20 plate appearances against Harang, for a batting average of .529.

• The Dodgers have gone 16-11 on the road since the All-Star break, compared with an 11-17 mark at home.

• A win Thursday in the final game this season between these two clubs would give Arizona 12 wins in 18 games against the Dodgers this year. That would be the most since the D-backs took 13 of 18 in 2005.

• With their win Tuesday, the D-backs improved to 12-24 in one-run games this season.

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