Dodgers on top of things

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The Dodgers dismissed another Arizona ace with relative ease Saturday afternoon, battering Brandon Webb and leaving the Diamondbacks looking as lost as right fielder Justin Upton during a 7-2 victory at Dodger Stadium.

Upton lifted his arms in surrender moments before Manny Ramirez's sixth-inning fly ball bounced off the warning track and over the right-field wall for a two-run double that helped catapult the Dodgers into sole possession of first place in the National League West for the first time since April 4.

It only seems as if Arizona has conceded the division during a four-game stretch against the Dodgers in which it has been outscored 28-5. Ramirez homered and drove in five runs for the Dodgers, who celebrated their seventh consecutive victory by immediately posting the updated NL West standings on the scoreboard:

Dodgers 72-70

Arizona 71-70

"It's not first place until the year is over," Dodgers catcher Russell Martin said.

Today, in the final meeting of the season between the teams, the Dodgers will look to increase their half-game division lead against Diamondbacks rookie Max Scherzer instead of veteran Randy Johnson, who was scratched because of soreness in his pitching shoulder.

Maybe that will somehow work out in Arizona's favor. The Diamondbacks had aligned their rotation so that Webb and Dan Haren would each face the Dodgers twice over the last week, but that didn't turn out so well.

Webb's numbers: 15 runs in nine innings over two starts, both losses.

Haren's numbers: 10 runs in 10 innings over two starts, both losses.

"These guys are All-Star pitchers for good reason," Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said. "We just caught them at a flat time."

Webb surrendered five hits, six walks and seven runs in 5 2/3 innings Saturday for the Diamondbacks, who had held at least a share of the division lead every day since April 6.

Ramirez inflicted most of the damage as the Dodgers denied Webb (19-7) in his bid to notch his 20th victory for the second time in seven days. Ramirez hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning, giving him 521 homers for his career and moving him into a four-way tie for 17th place on the all-time list alongside Willie McCovey, Ted Williams and Frank Thomas.

Ramirez also surpassed Reggie Jackson and Thomas to move into 20th place on the all-time RBIs list with 1,706.