A fastball from San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum glanced off the bill of Justin Upton’s helmet in the first inning Sunday afternoon, rattling just about everyone at Chase Field – including Lincecum.

---

Diamondbacks-Giants photos | Box score | MLB scoreboard

---

But early indications are it didn’t rattle the Diamondbacks’ star right fielder too badly.

Upton initially remained in the game to run the bases, but he was removed after experiencing nausea upon returning to the dugout.

But he passed neurological tests administered by the team’s medical staff and a CT scan checked out normal, according to team physician Dr. Michael Lee.

“He looks very, very good,” Lee said.

The Diamondbacks kept right on rolling without him, pounding Lincecum for five runs in five innings to win 5-2. It was their fourth victory in a row, and they remain a game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the race to secure home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Right-hander Josh Collmenter closed out his rookie season with another quality start, and closer J.J. Putz registered his career-high 45th save, but the focus in both clubhouses Sunday was on Upton’s condition.

Lee couldn’t definitively rule out a concussion, but said all early signs were encouraging. Upton had no loss of consciousness or memory and left the ballpark without a headache. That he vomited after coming off the field can be cause for concern, but there were no other indications that anything was wrong with Upton, who did not speak with reporters after Sunday’s game.

“That can be a sign of a concussion or even a brain injury,” Lee said of the nausea. “But he does not seem to have that whatsoever at this point. The tests sort of ruled that out.”

Lee said Upton will undergo more tests Monday, including the ImPACT test, a computer program that examines a player’s memory and reaction speed compared with prior test results administered before the season.

“We’ll do that again to make sure he tests well with that,” Lee said. “He’s day to day at this point in time. But we don’t have any major concerns.”

It was the 19th time Upton has been hit by a pitch this season.

Lincecum appeared shaken up, walking toward home plate as Upton was being evaluated by the training staff.

“I know situations like that can be extremely scary,” Lincecum said. “I definitely wanted to make sure he was all right. During the game, I had one of the players send a message over there saying that it was a complete accident. There was no intention of doing that. I wanted to know if he was doing all right and how his well-being was. They sent back that he was doing fine.”

Lincecum said he pitched differently after the incident.

“Yeah, maybe a little,” he said. “Kind of afraid to go in for fear of that stuff happening again.”

Miguel Montero followed the hit by pitch by hammering a fastball for a two-run double, Upton scoring from first base. Collin Cowgill and Aaron Hill later added RBI doubles as the Diamondbacks cruised to their sixth win in the past seven games.

Diamondbacks rewind

Keeping pace: The Diamondbacks are one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers, whom they’re trying to chase down to secure home-field advantage – and possibly avoid playing the Philadelphia Phillies – in the division series.

The Brewers won their third in a row Sunday and have won nine of their past 12.

“We can’t control that,” Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. “We can only control what we can do. Our intentions are to try to win out. We may. We may not. Wherever we go to play on Saturday, that’s fine. We have to beat whoever we have to play. We respect them all, but yet we know we’re pretty good and have the ability to beat anybody.”

Big pitch: Right-hander Josh Collmenter finished a tough at-bat by the Giants’ Aubrey Huff by striking him out looking at a curveball. It’s a pitch he still rarely employs but one that he said has improved throughout the year.

“I thought maybe Miggy was going to call it,” Collmenter said, referring to catcher Miguel Montero. “(Huff) was battling and fouling fastballs off and staying on the change-up a little bit. I knew he wasn’t looking for (the curveball), and I just wanted to make a good pitch. Fortunately I was able to.”

Beating Lincecum: The Diamondbacks faced Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum for the 18th time Sunday, hanging a loss on him for just the fifth time. It was the third time they’ve scored five runs against him.

He has a career 2.95 ERA in 125 career innings against the Diamondbacks.

View from the press box

Justin Upton’s hit by pitch appeared to be a glancing blow off his helmet, and everything looks good so far, but we might not know for sure if Upton is in the clear for at least another day or so. He’s obviously the Diamondbacks’ most valuable player, so they can only hope the early diagnosis holds.

Up next: Los Angeles Dodgers

Update: When the Dodgers have been in the headlines this season, it usually has been for one of three things – their owners’ messy divorce, Clayton Kershaw or Matt Kemp. The ownership situation still is unsettled, and Kershaw made his final start of what might be a Cy Young Award-winning season, but Kemp still has three games to go as he tries to secure the NL MVP award. Kemp entered Sunday with an outside chance to become the league’s first Triple Crown winner since Joe Medwick in 1937. He was third in the league in batting average (.325, six points back of Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun), tied for first in home runs (37) and tops in RBIs (119). The Dodgers are finishing the season strong, having won 22 of their past 31 entering Sunday.

A fastball from San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum glanced off the bill of Justin Upton’s helmet in the first inning Sunday afternoon, rattling just about everyone at Chase Field – including Lincecum.

---

Diamondbacks-Giants photos | Box score | MLB scoreboard

---

But early indications are it didn’t rattle the Diamondbacks’ star right fielder too badly.

Upton initially remained in the game to run the bases, but he was removed after experiencing nausea upon returning to the dugout.

But he passed neurological tests administered by the team’s medical staff and a CT scan checked out normal, according to team physician Dr. Michael Lee.

“He looks very, very good,” Lee said.

The Diamondbacks kept right on rolling without him, pounding Lincecum for five runs in five innings to win 5-2. It was their fourth victory in a row, and they remain a game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the race to secure home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Right-hander Josh Collmenter closed out his rookie season with another quality start, and closer J.J. Putz registered his career-high 45th save, but the focus in both clubhouses Sunday was on Upton’s condition.

Lee couldn’t definitively rule out a concussion, but said all early signs were encouraging. Upton had no loss of consciousness or memory and left the ballpark without a headache. That he vomited after coming off the field can be cause for concern, but there were no other indications that anything was wrong with Upton, who did not speak with reporters after Sunday’s game.

“That can be a sign of a concussion or even a brain injury,” Lee said of the nausea. “But he does not seem to have that whatsoever at this point. The tests sort of ruled that out.”

Lee said Upton will undergo more tests Monday, including the ImPACT test, a computer program that examines a player’s memory and reaction speed compared with prior test results administered before the season.

“We’ll do that again to make sure he tests well with that,” Lee said. “He’s day to day at this point in time. But we don’t have any major concerns.”

It was the 19th time Upton has been hit by a pitch this season.

Lincecum appeared shaken up, walking toward home plate as Upton was being evaluated by the training staff.

“I know situations like that can be extremely scary,” Lincecum said. “I definitely wanted to make sure he was all right. During the game, I had one of the players send a message over there saying that it was a complete accident. There was no intention of doing that. I wanted to know if he was doing all right and how his well-being was. They sent back that he was doing fine.”

Lincecum said he pitched differently after the incident.

“Yeah, maybe a little,” he said. “Kind of afraid to go in for fear of that stuff happening again.”

Miguel Montero followed the hit by pitch by hammering a fastball for a two-run double, Upton scoring from first base. Collin Cowgill and Aaron Hill later added RBI doubles as the Diamondbacks cruised to their sixth win in the past seven games.

Diamondbacks rewind

Keeping pace: The Diamondbacks are one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers, whom they’re trying to chase down to secure home-field advantage – and possibly avoid playing the Philadelphia Phillies – in the division series.

The Brewers won their third in a row Sunday and have won nine of their past 12.

“We can’t control that,” Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. “We can only control what we can do. Our intentions are to try to win out. We may. We may not. Wherever we go to play on Saturday, that’s fine. We have to beat whoever we have to play. We respect them all, but yet we know we’re pretty good and have the ability to beat anybody.”

Big pitch: Right-hander Josh Collmenter finished a tough at-bat by the Giants’ Aubrey Huff by striking him out looking at a curveball. It’s a pitch he still rarely employs but one that he said has improved throughout the year.

“I thought maybe Miggy was going to call it,” Collmenter said, referring to catcher Miguel Montero. “(Huff) was battling and fouling fastballs off and staying on the change-up a little bit. I knew he wasn’t looking for (the curveball), and I just wanted to make a good pitch. Fortunately I was able to.”

Beating Lincecum: The Diamondbacks faced Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum for the 18th time Sunday, hanging a loss on him for just the fifth time. It was the third time they’ve scored five runs against him.

He has a career 2.95 ERA in 125 career innings against the Diamondbacks.

View from the press box

Justin Upton’s hit by pitch appeared to be a glancing blow off his helmet, and everything looks good so far, but we might not know for sure if Upton is in the clear for at least another day or so. He’s obviously the Diamondbacks’ most valuable player, so they can only hope the early diagnosis holds.

Up next: Los Angeles Dodgers

Update: When the Dodgers have been in the headlines this season, it usually has been for one of three things – their owners’ messy divorce, Clayton Kershaw or Matt Kemp. The ownership situation still is unsettled, and Kershaw made his final start of what might be a Cy Young Award-winning season, but Kemp still has three games to go as he tries to secure the NL MVP award. Kemp entered Sunday with an outside chance to become the league’s first Triple Crown winner since Joe Medwick in 1937. He was third in the league in batting average (.325, six points back of Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun), tied for first in home runs (37) and tops in RBIs (119). The Dodgers are finishing the season strong, having won 22 of their past 31 entering Sunday.

Read More: Ian Kennedy (P – ARI), Eric Surkamp (P – SFG), Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants

Any concern that the Arizona Diamondbacks were going to have a let down or perhaps suffer hangover effects from their celebration the previous night were quickly nullified. The D-backs pounced on the Giants in the first inning and knocked San Francisco starter Eric Surkamp out of the game before the frame was over.

The offensive explosion spotted Ian Kennedy to a 6-1 lead which was far more than he needed to carry the team to a leisurely victory. Kennedy finished with five hits and two runs allowed six innings of work. Kennedy added his own bat to the party with a two-run double.

The scoring kicked off with a Ryan Roberts single which plated two of the three runners who had walked ahead of him. It was all down hill from there for a Giants pitching staff that played like their season is over…which is pretty much is.

The Diamondbacks rout was led by Gerardo Parra’s four RBI night with Roberts knocking in three. Parra got the start in right field in place of Justin Upton who was given the day off. Catcher Henry Blanco also say action in place of Miguel Montero and contributed an RBI triple to the cause.

The Diamondbacks remain one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the race for home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. 

The game was delayed for almost 30 minutes in the seventh inning when the lights at Chase Field went out.

Josh Collmenter pitches for Arizona on Sunday to wrap up the series with the Giants. 

Today’s pitching matchup: Diamondbacks LHP Joe Saunders (12-12, 3.66 ERA) vs. Giants RHP Matt Cain (12-10, 2.86).

The Diamondbacks announced a rotation change late Thursday afternoon, moving RHP Josh Collmenter from Friday to Sunday and moving Saunders and RHP Ian Kennedy up a day. … Saunders gave up four runs (three earned) in 5 1/3 innings against the Giants on Sept. 2 and has a 5.21 ERA against them in three starts this season.

Post your comments on our message board below.

PHOENIX (AP)—Becoming NL West champions has been a notion off in the
distance for the Arizona Diamondbacks for weeks, something plausible, yet still
just out of reach.

Now that it’s closer to becoming a reality, the Diamondbacks are ready to
snatch it up.

Aggressive on the basepaths and with their bats, the Diamondbacks jumped on
the Pittsburgh Pirates early in an 8-5 win on Wednesday that cut their magic
number for clinching the division to two.

“You don’t want to beat around the bush too much, just go ahead and get it
done,” said Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley(notes), the biggest beneficiary of
Arizona’s take-it-now approach.

A day after stranding 11 runners in a loss to Pittsburgh, the Diamondbacks
put pressure on the Pirates from the start, setting a team record with four
stolen bases while scoring three runs off Russ Ohlendorf (1-3) in the first
inning.

Miguel Montero(notes) hit a homer for the first his three hits in the inning and
Arizona tacked on five more runs in the third with two-run hits by Aaron Hill(notes)
and Ryan Roberts(notes) to finish with 11 hits.

That was more than enough run support for Miley (4-2) and J.J. Putz(notes) closed
it out with a flourish, striking out the side in the ninth for his 22nd straight
save and 43rd overall.

Now, with 90 wins after a pair of 90-loss seasons, Arizona is on the brink
of closing out the Giants, who played the Dodgers later Wednesday. The
Diamondbacks get a day off on Thursday before opening a three-game series at
home against San Francisco on Friday.

“We can’t celebrate until happens,” said Chris Young, who had two hits and
drove in a run in a five-run third inning. “I’m sure a few guys will be
watching the Giants tonight and tomorrow, but if we can come into the Giants’
series ready and playing good baseball, we should be able to do this.”

Pittsburgh didn’t go quietly despite the big early hole.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle used 15 different position players and six
pitchers, and his team did manage to chip away at the lead in the later innings.
But Pittsburgh, like it has most of the second half of the season, came up just
short, losing for the 10th time in 14 games.

Derrek Lee(notes) homered and drove in two runs, and Ryan Ludwick(notes) added a solo shot
for the Pirates.

“The attitude and the effort has been there all year,” Hurdle said. “They
are playing the game to win, whether it is September 21st all April 21st that
hasn’t changed. The execution has been problematic the last 50 games.”

Arizona lost to Pittsburgh 5-3 Tuesday night, thanks to ineffective hitting
with runners on and several defensive gems by the Pirates, but still moved
closer to its first division title since 2007 with San Francisco’s loss to the
Dodgers.

The Diamondbacks went right at the Pirates in the series finale, pulling off
two double steals in the opening inning. Justin Upton(notes) had a sacrifice fly to
drive in one run and Montero added two more with his 18th homer to right.

Arizona piled it on the third, chasing Ohlendorf after three straight
singles—Young’s drove a run—and a walk. Roberts followed with a two-run
double to the corner in left off Jared Hughes(notes), who then issued a four-pitch walk
to Miley, a .083 hitter. Hill made it 8-1 with a two-run single to left after
fighting off several good pitches.

Ohlendorf allowed seven runs on seven hits in two-plus innings.

“I felt like the ball was coming out of my hand real good and I made good
pitches, and they took good swings,” said Ohlendorf said. “I had a really good
approach and I didn’t make enough good pitches.”

Miley wasn’t particularly sharp, but plenty good enough with the support his
teammates provided.

The left-hander worked through plenty of traffic, giving up Ludwick’s solo
homer in the second inning and an RBI single to Lee in the fourth. Miley was
lifted for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning after allowing two runs on five
hits.

The Diamondbacks had some nice defensive plays to help the effort, including
Hill’s shovel throw from second to get Alex Presley(notes) in the third inning and
first baseman Lyle Overbay’s(notes) over-the-rail grab on Matt Pagnozzi’s(notes) foul pop in
the sixth.

“We’ve just got keep pushing, keep winning ball games and seal the deal,”
Miley said.

Another game or two like this and they will.

NOTES: Montero has an 11-game hitting streak at home. … Arizona gets
Thursday off before starting its series against the Giants. Rookie RHP Josh
Collmenter(notes) will start for the Diamondbacks after allowing three runs in seven
innings of a 3-1 loss to San Diego his last outing. … Pittsburgh heads home to
play Cincinnati with RHP Edinson Volquez(notes) facing Reds LHP Jeff Locke(notes). Volquez
will be making his third start in the majors after losing his first two outings
with a 6.75 ERA.