Hiroki Kuroda pitches well, but Dodgers lose

Hiroki Kuroda was fairly stout -- except for one inning -- in his return to the Dodgers' starting rotation Monday night.

Unfortunately for Kuroda and the Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks starter Billy Buckner was even better.

Buckner shut down the Dodgers' league-leading offense and the Diamondbacks edged the Dodgers, 3-2, in front of 32,304 at Dodger Stadium.

Kuroda made his first start for the Dodgers in nearly two months after being sidelined because of a strained muscle in his left side shortly after he won opening day.

The right-hander gave up two earned runs and three hits and threw 86 pitches in five innings.

Dodgers Manager Joe Torre had said he didn't want Kuroda to throw more than 90 pitches in his first game back.

"I was probably too careful locating the pitches," Kuroda said through an interpreter, adding that he pitched "pain free."

But Buckner -- who isn't related to former big leaguer Bill Buckner -- scattered only four hits and kept the Dodgers scoreless in his six innings despite starting the game with an earned-run average of 7.16.

Buckner "kept us off balance and did a great job tonight," said Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson, a former teammate of Buckner's with the Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers finally scored two runs in the ninth inning to make it close when Rafael Furcal -- who didn't start but was a late-game substitution -- singled home Andre Ethier and Juan Pierre singled home Matt Kemp.

Kuroda (1-1) retired Arizona hitters in order in his first and last innings on the mound and really only struggled in the second inning when his control wavered and he gave up two runs.

Mark Reynolds and Miguel Montero both walked and then scored on a double by Arizona first baseman Josh Whitesell, who attended Loyola Marymount and lives in Redlands.

Still, it was promising return for Kuroda, 34, who suffered his injury in a bullpen session two days after he led the Dodgers to an opening-day win against the San Diego Padres on April 6.

"I thought he was fine," Torre said. "He hadn't pitched in so long, he was probably a little wound up . . . He wasn't locating as he normally would."

Arizona added a run in the eighth inning when Gerardo Parra, who had singled and moved to third on two wild pitches by Dodgers reliever Brent Leach, scored when Reynolds grounded out.

Leach, in fact, contributed to an ignominious record for the Dodgers.