Arizona's Webb goes to 8-0 with 8-3 victory over Phillies

[May 09, 2008]  PHOENIX (AP) -- Brandon Webb became the first pitcher to win his first eight starts in three years, tossing his 13th career complete game to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 on Thursday.

The 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner struck out four and didn't walk a batter in his first complete game of the year. He hit one batter.

Webb (8-0) became the first pitcher to win his first eight starts since Jon Garland of the Chicago White Sox in 2005 and the first in the NL since Pedro Martinez for Montreal in 1997.

Webb stifled the Phillies on three hits through eight innings before allowing two runs and three hits in the ninth. Philadelphia's first-inning run was unearned.

Manager Bob Melvin came to the mound after the Phillies scored two runs in the ninth and had a runner on first with one out. Geoff Jenkins then lined one off the pitcher's glove that Webb turned in to a game-ending double play.

Chris Young hit a two-run drive, his second homer in as many games, and Chris Snyder had a two-run double for the Diamondbacks, who split a four-game series with Philadelphia to finish their longest homestand of the season 5-5. Justin Upton added a solo home run for Arizona.

Brett Myers (2-3) allowed seven runs, six earned, and nine hits in five innings for Philadelphia. He struck out five and walked three, one intentionally.

Shane Victorino singled twice and scored twice for the Phillies. Eric Bruntlett had two singles and an RBI.

The Phillies scratched out a run in the first. Victorino led off with an infield single off the glove of first baseman Pat Burke and took second on a passed ball. He advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Chase Utley's sacrifice fly.

Young's eighth homer of the season -- coming after Augie Ojeda's single -- gave Arizona the lead for good in the bottom half.

The Diamondbacks scored four in the fourth. Myers walked the first two batters, then Mark Reynolds loaded the bases with the second of his three singles. Snyder followed with a double down the left-field line.

Eric Byrnes hit into what looked to be a double play, but second baseman Utley dropped the ball for an error that allowed another run to score. Ojeda's sacrifice fly made it 7-1.

Upton led off the seventh with a homer off Clay Condrey.

Notes: 1B Conor Jackson (head injury) and 2B Orlando Hudson (hamstring) were out of the Arizona lineup, but Jackson is expected to play Friday and Hudson could return over the weekend, Melvin said. ... Bruntlett was 7-for-18 with eight RBIs in the series.

[Associated Press; By BOB BAUM]

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