Kennedy wins 17th as D-Backs top Padres

Ian Kennedy topped the National League with his 17th win of the season as the Diamondbacks beat the San Diego Padres 6-1 for their sixth consecutive win Sunday. Arizona have allowed just five runs over their impressive winning streak, and Kennedy (17-4) continued the stingy pitching while striking out seven batters over seven innings. The red-hot right-hander has now won nine of his last 10 starts to help the D-Backs establish a four-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the National League West. “We weren’t playing well before this, so we’re kind of making up for it,” Kennedy told reporters. “It’s nice to do this at home, go on this streak against guys in our division. It’s a lot of fun right now.” Kennedy’s 17th win of the year surpassed Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw’s 16 for the lead in the NL. Kennedy and the D-Backs fell behind 1-0 to the Padres in the top of the second, but a pair of home runs gave them control. Collin Cowgill, who went 4-for-4 on the day, tied the game with a solo blast in the bottom of the second before Aaron Hill’s two-run shot in the third gave the home team a 3-1 lead. The homer was the first for Hill since he joined Arizona through a trade with Toronto on Tuesday, while Cowgill also hit an RBI double in the eighth as the Diamondbacks added three more runs. The loss was the fourth straight for the NL West bottom-feeders San Diego (60-74). “Their pitching has really come on,” said Padres manager Bud Black. “The two guys at the top of their rotation, Kennedy and Daniel Hudson, have come into their own with confidence and stuff. Their bullpen has been revamped. That’s the biggest thing, pitching.” Cory Luebke allowed three runs in a little over five innings to take the loss for the Padres who had a solo homer from Orlando Hudson in the second.

Indians lose Brantley to season-ending hand surgery

Cleveland: The Cleveland Indians will lose Michael Brantley for the rest of the season after it was announced on Sunday that the young outfielder will need surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand. Brantley had been playing through pain in the hand for some time before he was placed on the disabled list Friday. Further examination revealed he will need surgery that will require six to nine weeks of recovery time. “What is clear is his present symptoms, his inability to squeeze a bat or swing a bat, are clearly coming from his (injury),” Indians head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff told the team’s website (Cleveland.indians.mlb.com). “The treatment there is to remove that.” The 24-year-old Brantley is batting .266 with seven home runs and 46 RBIs in 114 games this season. The Indians currently trail the first-place Detroit Tigers by 6.5 games in their push to make the playoffs