Vin Scully says he'll be back next season

The Hall of Fame broadcaster said he received the blessing of his wife, Sandy, to postpone retirement. Scully, 80, is in the final season of a three-year contract.

Scully said he does not intend to re-sign for more than a year, adding, "I'm really weary talking about beyond this afternoon. . . . There's a beginning, a middle and an end for all of us. I know that I have a lot more yesterdays than I have tomorrows."

Because of the amount of time his wife will have to continue to spend alone, Scully said he felt he had to talk over his plans with her. He intends to keep the same work schedule, which includes games at home and as far east as Colorado.

"She pays a terrific price," he said. "What it means is that Sandy is so selfless and unselfish and she would go through it again because she knows how much it means to me."

Of being the longest-tenured broadcaster in baseball, he said, "It's incredible to realize all those years have gone by. Every now and then I'll get a picture from my early days in Vero Beach and it's mind-boggling."

Pitching prospects battle

Clayton Kershaw denied that the magnitude of Sunday's game caused him to unravel. The 20-year-old left-hander pitched only four innings in the Dodgers' 5-3 victory and was charged with every run the Diamondbacks scored.

"The team kind of bailed me out," said Kershaw, who left the game trailing, 3-2.

Kershaw gave up a solo home run to Chris Snyder in the second inning, another to Adam Dunn in the third and a run-scoring double by Snyder in the fourth.

"It was a struggle," Kershaw said. "Nothing came easy."

The Diamondbacks also sent out their top pitching prospect, handing Max Scherzer his first big league start in almost four months.

Scherzer pitched into the sixth inning and was charged with three runs and five hits over five innings. He struck out 11, including eight of the nine batters he faced from the third to fifth innings. "I kind of found a rhythm," Scherzer said.

Saito sees the light

An upbeat Takashi Saito said he experienced no physical discomfort while throwing 16 pitches in a short simulated game.

Saito said the plan laid out by trainer Stan Conte calls for another simulated game Wednesday and for the closer to be activated Saturday.