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.

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Diamondbacks-Giants photos | Box score | MLB scoreboard

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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.

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Diamondbacks-Giants photos | Box score | MLB scoreboard

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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.

Diamondbacks slugger Justin Upton was ejected Sunday for arguing a called third strike.

Upton jumped into the air Sunday after being called out on strikes against Ryan Vogelsong for the first out of the fourth with Aaron Hill aboard on a leadoff single. Upton jawed with plate umpire Brian Knight and was tossed. He had to be held back by manager Kirk Gibson and then first base coach Eric Young.

It’s the first ejection of the year for Upton, who drew a first-inning walk.

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ATLANTA – Out of the Diamondbacks’ lineup for the first time since May, right fielder Justin Upton followed the media into Kirk Gibson’s office Sunday morning and sat down as if he were a reporter.

When Gibson noticed, he had Upton sit at his desk and answer questions as if he were the manager. The first question? It was about his own day off, of course.

“It’s been a rough road trip, and it’s pretty hot, so we’re going to rest his legs,” Upton deadpanned. “Next question.”

Upton seemed to be in good spirits about missing his first start in the past 74 games.

“Obviously things aren’t running very smoothly right now,” Gibson said. “We’re trying to endure that and keep everybody healthy. It’s been forever since he’s been off. He’s been going hard, and we’ll let him have a recovery day. You can see he’s relaxed right now. That’s a good thing.”

Upton entered Sunday just 3 for 20 through the first five games of the road trip, in which the Diamondbacks had gone 1-4. He has had similar short stretches recently, and it’s perhaps no coincidence that the team, as it has now, struggled during those mini-slumps.

Upton went just 2 for 19 during five games from Aug. 3-8, and the club went 1-4. He went 4 for 24 during a 2-4 stretch in mid-July. Point being: As Upton has gone, so have the Diamondbacks.

Gibson didn’t sound upset about his team’s struggles, mainly because he believes the team’s struggles have nothing to do with effort or focus.

“You don’t see guys loafing,” Gibson said. “It’s not like they’re jogging or not hitting cutoff men. We’re playing the game, we’re just not having an opportunity to have as much fun playing it as we were four days ago, when we won seven in a row.”

Debut redux

Left-hander Wade Miley, who gave up five runs in four-plus innings in his major-league debut, said he watched video of his outing after the game Saturday night and on Sunday morning.

“I didn’t feel like I made terrible pitches, but in a couple of situations I made bad pitches,” he said. “I left the ball up, and you can’t leave the ball up here. I made mistakes, and they hit them.”

He let himself reflect on getting to face his childhood favorite team and its star, Chipper Jones.

“It was pretty awesome,” Miley said. “He’s been one of my favorites since I was growing up. But I’ve still got to get him out. I wanted to go after him. I’d rather get him out three times than him get a hit.”

Short hops

Gibson left third baseman Ryan Roberts out of the lineup for the second consecutive game. “He’s a guy who gets worn down,” Gibson said, “and then I see him mentally starting to go.”

- Right-hander Trevor Bauer gave up three runs – all on a three-run home run – in five innings in his second start for Double-A Mobile. He struck out eight and walked three.

Read More: Ubaldo Jimenez (P – COL), Micah Owings (P – ARI), Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks

The Colorado Rockies enter Sunday’s finale with the Arizona Diamondbacks on the heels of a disappointing 12-3 loss. Jason Hammel allowed eight runs and then saw Eric Stults allow a grand slam to Justin Upton. It will be up to Ubaldo Jimenez to put the Rockies back on track in Sunday’s finale.

Jimenez (6-8, 4.00 ERA), subject of trade rumors, is on a three-game winning streak and pitching just as many expected him to do at the start of the season. Since his July 4 start against the Braves when he allowed three runs in 5.1 innings and was not economical with his pitches, Jimenez has allowed five runs over 20.2 innings in three starts. He has struck out 21 during that time.

Micah Owings replaces Barry Enright for the Sunday start. Owings has mostly pitched in relief for the D’Backs this season and will make his first start since May 26 when he faced the Rockies. In that game, Owings picked up the win after allowing one run in five innings. It wouldn’t be surprising if he also did some damage with his bat, once a notable hitter in high school and college.

First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. MT.

For more on the Rockies, visit Purple Row. Check out AZ Snakepit and SB Nation Arizona for news and notes on the Diamondbacks.

J.J. Putz is a key reason the Diamondbacks’ confidence has been building in recent days. He closed down the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, getting his 12th consecutive save, helping the Diamondbacks win for the sixth consecutive time.

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Profile: J.J. Putz

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“It’s all about making good pitches, been able to get ahead, pretty much as a staff, too,” he said. “This whole homestand with starting pitching, they set the tone for everything. They get us in position to score some runs and let the bullpen come in and finish things off.”

Asked if he could feel the confidence building, he said, “Can you? I know I can. I think everybody’s playing really well.

“We’re doing little things, we’re getting guys over, driving in runs with two outs, and we’re making good pitches. So hopefully we can keep this thing rolling.”

Manager Kirk Gibson was impressed both with Putz’s pitching and fielding, as he gloved two hard-hit ground balls that could have gone up the middle for hits to start the inning. He retired Rene Rivera on a fly ball to center fielder Chris Young to end the game.

“He knows what he’s doing,” Gibson said. “He’s got good experience, he’s throwing the ball well, putting his pitches where he wants to.”

Johnson rewarded

Second baseman Kelly Johnson has struggled throughout the season, but his recent success could foreshadow better times. He had a big night Saturday, hitting a game-winning grand slam in the eighth inning.

Johnson still is hitting under .200, but Gibson has been looking at other things besides batting average.

“He’s had a tough go of it this year, and we stuck with him, and he’s worked hard,” Gibson said. “We were reminding him that there were some good results coming though he was quantifying the results to whether he got a hit or whether he did his job, and we’re looking at it more as just putting the ball in play and what his approach is and what his habits are, so now that was a true result that everybody can relate to.”

Johnson has moved around in the lineup. He returned to the No. 2 spot in the batting order Saturday after hitting eighth Friday. He hit seventh Sunday, doubling in four plate appearances.

Short hops

With a six-game winning streak, confidence is high as the Diamondbacks begin a seven-game road trip Tuesday. Gibson put that in perspective after Sunday’s 3-2 win.

“I think it’s lot looser than it was last week when we lost five one-run games, just more relaxed,” he said. “I think our clubhouse has remained good through both sides of it, but I think that they probably feel more confident in what the outcome’s going to be. I think they believe it right now, but at the same time, you have to be humble and understand you can turn just like that.”

- Matt Williams’ transition from first-base coach to third-base has been smooth, Gibson said. Williams spent time in the instructional league to get a feel for his new role. He spent much of the off-season looking at tapes, focusing on the schematics of infield defenses and relays.