PHOENIX, Sept. 29 (UPI) — Matt Kemp concluded a sensational season with a two-run homer Wednesday that helped lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-5 victory over Arizona.

Kemp wound up with 39 home runs and 126 RBI, becoming the first member of the Dodgers in 70 years to lead the National League in both categories. His .324 batting average was third-best in the National League, behind Jose Reyes of the New York Mets (.337) and Ryan Braun of the Brewers (.332).

Los Angeles finished the season, its first under Manager Don Mattingly, three games over .500 even though the club was embroiled in the financial woes of their owner, Frank McCourt.

Arizona, which spotted the Dodgers a seven-run lead before making a late comeback bid, won 94 games this season. That is the fewest by a division champion this year, but it was good enough to put the Diamondbacks into the playoffs with a division-round meeting coming up Saturday against Milwaukee.

Ted Lilly (12-14) gave up three hits and a walk in seven scoreless innings to get the win.

Joe Saunders (12-13) allowed five runs on nine hits for the Diamondbacks.

All of Arizona’s runs came in the ninth on a grand slam homer by Cole Gillespie and a solo shot by Henry Blanco.

The Diamondbacks missed a chance to move a step closer to home-field advantage in the division series, but that seemed secondary to the condition of star right fielder Justin Upton, who was held out of the starting lineup a day after getting hit on the head by a fastball from San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum.

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The Diamondbacks called the decision not to play him “precautionary” and gave no specific details as to why he was held out other than to say he felt slightly amiss.

Neither Upton nor manager Kirk Gibson sounded overly concerned about the situation, even with only two games left in the regular season and the playoffs set to begin Saturday.

“I just talked to him during (batting practice) and stuff, and it didn’t seem like he was totally right,” Gibson said after the Diamondbacks and Daniel Hudson lost 4-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field.

“We’re going to be cautious with that at this point in the season. I expect that probably it was the right thing to do and that (Tuesday) he’ll be fine.”

Upton was hit on the bill of his helmet by a 93 mph fastball from Lincecum in the first inning Sunday.

He remained in the game, scoring from first base on a double by Miguel Montero.

But he experienced nausea when he got back to the dugout and did not take the field in the top of the second.

Team physician Dr. Michael Lee said Sunday that Upton passed neurological tests “with flying colors” and that a CT scan looked normal, all of which suggested he did not suffer a concussion.

However, he still needed to pass the ImPACT Test before being cleared to return to action. The ImPACT Test is a computer program that gauges memory and reaction speed compared with test results from before the season.

Upton arrived at the park and worked out before taking the test, the results of which apparently were not known when Gibson spoke to reporters before the game.

At that point, Gibson said, “He’ll play if he passes that ImPACT Test.”

About an hour and 40 minutes before Monday night’s game, the Diamondbacks announced their lineup, and Upton was not in it.

“I can’t disclose what goes on with that – that’s a medical issue,” Gibson said when asked about the test results after the game.

Said Upton: “I wasn’t feeling 100 percent. Gibby, at this point, wants me to be 100 percent before I step on the field.

“There’s no questions asked. He spoke with the training staff, and they said, just as a precaution, take another day.”

Upton, who is hitting .291 with 31 home runs and 88 RBIs this season, said he’s planning to play Tuesday night, adding that he still doesn’t consider it a serious issue.

Neither does Gibson, even with his team’s most important player possibly not at his sharpest heading into the postseason.

“No, I’m not worried about it,” Gibson said.

“He played a lot. Part of it is, this gives him a little blow. We pushed him pretty hard. This is the first September he’s played into in a while.

“I guess I look at it the other way, as well, where this will allow him to relax a little bit, physically regroup and get mentally right.”

View from the press box

Yeah, Matt Kemp isn’t on a first-place team, but why punish him for not having the best players surrounding him? From this vantage point, Kemp has been the National League’s best player this year. Here’s hoping he’s rewarded with the MVP award.

Rewind

Still chasing: The Diamondbacks remain one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who dropped the opening game of their season-ending series with the Pirates.

If the Diamondbacks and Brewers finish with the same record, the Diamondbacks would get the tiebreaker for home-field advantage in the division series based on having won four of seven games head to head against Milwaukee.

If the season ended today, the Diamondbacks would open the playoffs on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies.

One ‘dumb’ pitch: Right-hander Daniel Hudson gave up a three-run home run to Dodgers star Matt Kemp and little else Monday night, but that was enough to cost the Diamondbacks the game.

“Dumb pitch,” he said of a full-count change-up that was up in the strike zone. “I’ve faced him a few times and I’ve thrown him a couple of 3-2 change-ups, so he was probably just waiting for it. I kind of knew that in the back of my head. But I didn’t throw it in a good spot, left it out over the plate. And he did what he does with those pitches all the time.”

Time to regroup: Hudson said he’ll have to put the disappointing outing behind him, knowing that his next start will come in the division series.

“You’ve just got to tell yourself you’ve got a more important start coming up in the playoffs,” Hudson said. “Obviously, we wanted to win that game and try to catch Milwaukee.”

A minute before the Los Angeles Dodgers were about to hold a pregame team meeting Monday, outfielder Matt Kemp strolled into the visitor’s locker room ready to go to work at Chase Field.

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He wasn’t late for the meeting, but he most likely was trying to avoid pregame questions from reporters about his pursuit of the Triple Crown.

A strong September is allowing Kemp to continue his chase for a Triple Crown, a feat most recently accomplished in the National League by the St. Louis Cardinals’ Joe Medwick in 1937 and in the American League in 1967 by the Boston Red Sox’s Carl Yastrzemski.

“Do I want it (Triple Crown)?” he said after Monday’s game. “Of course. But I don’t want to force it. I have about nine or 10 at-bats, we’ll see what happens.”

Kemp’s day got off to a good start, as he was named the NL Player of the Week after posting a .423 batting average (11 for 26) and hitting three home runs in six games last week.

He went 1 for 4 on Monday night with a three-run home run. The home run was his 38th of the season, breaking a tie with St. Louis’ Albert Pujols and giving him the outright lead. His 123 RBIs also lead the league.

But his .324 average trails Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun (.334) and New York’s Jose Reyes (.334).

“It is what it is,” Kemp said. “(You have) two good hitters (in) Jose Reyes and Ryan Braun. Those guys can hit. It’s going to be tough, but I take my hat off to them. Both of them have had (great) seasons.”

After the 2010 season, Kemp believed he’d post big numbers in 2011, predicting he’d become the fifth major-leaguer to join the 40-40 club (40 home runs and 40 stolen bases).

Two more homers, and he’ll do just that.

Kemp will face Diamondbacks right-hander Jarrod Parker, who is making his major-league debut, Tuesday night and end his great season Wednesday against left-hander Joe Saunders, who has allowed nine hits, including three home runs, in 27 at-bats against Kemp.

“It’s fun (watching Kemp),” Dodgers first baseman James Loney said. “He has an all-around game. He can do different things and can change a game with his speed and power or his arm. He is just working hard and doing the best for his team.”

Said Kemp after Monday’s game: “I don’t want to put no pressure on myself,” he said. “I’m going to continue to go out there and have fun and whatever happens happens.

“If it’s meant to be it is meant to be.”

PHOENIX, Sept. 27 (UPI) — Matt Kemp’s three-run homer in the first inning proved to be decisive Monday in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-2 win over Arizona.

Justin Sellers added an RBI single for Dodgers, who claimed a win in the opener of a season-ending, three-game series against the National League West-champion Diamondbacks.

Dana Eveland (3-2) tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, issuing no walks and striking out five, while Javy Guerra racked up his 21st save in the ninth for the Dodgers.

Daniel Hudson (16-12) was touched for four runs on five hits over seven innings for Arizona.

SAN DIEGO (AP)—Rather than feeling pressure, Matt Kemp(notes) is embracing his
Triple Crown pursuit.

Kemp took another step toward a rare possible Triple Crown with a solo homer
as he led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on
Friday night.

Kemp went hitless in his first two at-bats before he homered leading off the
seventh inning to tie St. Louis’ Albert Pujols(notes) for the NL lead with 37. Kemp,
who leads the league with 119 RBIs, went 1 for 4 to keep his average at .326. He
picked up a point on Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun(notes), whose average dropped one point to
.329 and into a tie with New York’s Jose Reyes(notes), who didn’t play because of a
rainout.

Kemp, who turned 27 on Friday, was asked if he was aware of his statistics.

“No, no, I don’t,” he said deadpan. Then he smiled and added, “I do, I
do. It is what it is. It’s a fun experience and I’m just going to enjoy it.”

Ted Lilly(notes) combined with three relievers on a four-hitter, including rookie
closer Javy Guerra(notes), who picked up his 20th save in 21 chances.

But this night and the Dodgers’ final five games belong to Kemp, who is
attempting to be the major league’s first Triple Crown winner since Boston’s
Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

The last player in the National League to pull off the feat was Ducky
Medwick of St. Louis in 1937.

And if all that isn’t enough, Kemp is just three homers shy of becoming only
the fifth player in major league history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases
in the same season.

“What we talked about all year long is get ready to play and play,”
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “Don’t give at-bats away, keep fighting and
at the end of the year there are going to be a pile of numbers there because he
focused.”

His 426-foot home run off Wade LeBlanc(notes) (4-6) made it 2-0 in the seventh.
Kemp had two hits in 15 at-bats against the left-handed LeBlanc before the
homer.

“He’s a Triple Crown candidate for a reason,” LeBlanc said. “It’s a pitch
now that I’d like to have back. But he did a good piece of hitting. If you can
hit one out to right-center field here, you’ve earned it.”

Kemp is hitting .552 (16 for 29) during a seven-game hitting streak. During
the run he has four homers and nine RBIs.

“It felt pretty good,” Kemp said of the homer. “He is someone you have to
be pretty patient with. He mixes his pitches up pretty good.”

Both Mattingly and Kemp spoke about the need for Kemp to continue doing what
he has done and not try to change. Kemp said he has resisted the temptation to
swing for home runs.

“I haven’t did it the whole season and I’m not going to do it the last five
games,” Kemp said. “I’m not going to change it up. I just have to relax. When
I try to hit home runs and hit too hard, I’m not too successful.”

Said Mattingly: “It’s been fine for him all year long, so I don’t see
making any changes as far as trying to lead him off to try to get him any more
at-bats.”

Lilly (11-14) combined with Mike MacDougal(notes), Kenley Jensen and Javy Guerra to
hand the Padres their 19th shutout, tops in the majors. Lilly gave up all four
hits as he struck out six and walked two.

Guerra pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 21 chances as Los Angeles
picked up its 17th shutout.

Los Angeles’ Eugenio Velez(notes) went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts to tie a
modern major-league record by going hitless in his last 45 at-bats. He tied
Pittsburgh’s Bill Bergen (1909), Dave Campbell of San Diego and St. Louis (1973)
and Milwaukee’s Craig Counsell(notes) this season.

“It’s a little hard to watch,” Mattingly said. “He’s such a good kid. He
works hard, he’s a good teammate and he’s not moping around here.”

Lilly is 4-1 with a 1.89 ERA in six starts this season against San Diego.
Lilly has allowed three runs or less in each of his last 10 outings.

LeBlanc allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings as he set a
career-high with 10 strikeouts.

Rookie Jerry Sands(notes) extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games
with a leadoff double in the second before he scored on Russell Mitchell’s
groundout.

The Dodgers (79-77) won for the 22nd time in 30 games as they moved two
games above .500 for the first time since they were 6-4 on April 11.

Notes: The Dodgers are 12-4 against San Diego. … Los Angeles started five
rookies. … Dodgers rookie SS Dee Gordon(notes) extended his hitting streak to a
career-high 10 games. … LeBlanc became the first Padres pitcher to reach
double digits in strikeouts. … Chad Billingsley(notes) (11-10, 4.23 ERA) will start
for Los Angeles on Saturday in the second game of the three-game series against
Aaron Harang(notes) (13-7, 3,82).

The 2011 season hasn’t provided too many positive memories for Los Angeles Dodgers fans, but that doesn’t mean the ones it has provided can’t be extremely satisfying.

Take the incredible success of Clayton Kershaw(notes) for example. Kershaw is currently enjoying the best season by a Dodgers starter in over 20 years. He further cemented that on Tuesday night, tossing 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball while leading Los Angeles to a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. With the win, Kershaw became the team’s first 20-game winner since Ramon Martinez(notes) in 1990.

I would imagine that’s very satisfying to witness. But going beyond that, it’s the fact Kershaw has achieved a good deal of that success against their arch-rivals that likely has Dodgers fans doing cartwheels — or at least staying off the ledge — at the tail end of this lost season.

How good has Kershaw been against the defending World Series champs? With the victory Tuesday night, the 23-year-old lefty improves to 5-0 with a 1.07 ERA in five starts this season. Not even Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale or Fernando Valenzuela can lay claim to a 5-0 record over the Giants in a given year. In fact, you have to go all the way back to Vic Lombardi — who would have turned 89 on Tuesday — in 1946 to find the last time it happened.

On top of that, in four head-to-head matchups with two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum(notes), Kershaw has gone 4-0 and only allowed one earned run in 30 1/3 innings.

Fully acknowledging the shortcomings of the San Francisco Giants offense, those are still pretty crazy ridiculous numbers. And assuming the Giants fail to make the postseason, they can look back at their inability to solve Kershaw as one of the main reasons why.

Knowing this, Los Angeles reporters decided to ask Kershaw for his thoughts on contributing to San Francisco’s current predicament, to which he deadpanned a very short response.

“It’s a shame.”

That’s enough to make a Giants fans’ stomach churn.

As is the following question: With 20 wins under his belt, and remarkable success against the defending world champions on his résumé, has Clayton Kershaw done enough to unseat Roy Halladay(notes) and hold off the competition from Cliff Lee(notes) and Ian Kennedy(notes) in the National League Cy Young race?

Personally, Kershaw had my vote at the beginning of the season, and he has my vote now.

There’s no denying Kershaw put an impressive stamp on his candidacy Tuesday night with an outing so dominant, center fielder Matt Kemp(notes) had time to debate the Cy Young with himself while standing around in the outfield.

“If this boy doesn’t win the Cy Young, something’s definitely wrong,” Kemp recalled saying to himself.

Honestly, I couldn’t think of a more ringing endorsement than that.

Related: Clayton Kershaw, Ian Kennedy, Tim Lincecum, Matt Kemp, Cliff Lee, Ramon Martinez, Roy Halladay, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants