Big Unit leads D'backs past Tigs for 288th victory

[May 19, 2008]  PHOENIX (AP) -- Randy Johnson pitched seven scoreless innings for his 288th career victory, and the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-0 on Sunday.

Chris Young had three RBIs, including a two-run double, as the Diamondbacks improved to a major league-best 28-16 and increased their lead in the NL West to 5 1-2 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mark Reynolds added three hits for Arizona.

The 44-year-old Johnson (4-1) went a season-long seven innings to win his fourth straight decision, allowing six hits and a walk and striking out five. Manager Bob Melvin lifted his lefty after 98 pitches.

Johnson was the last pitcher to no-hit the Tigers; he did it on June 2, 1990, while pitching for Seattle.

Eighteen years and several operations later, the Big Unit is a different pitcher. He came into Sunday's start having allowed 36 hits, 11 walks and three hit batsmen in 31 2-3 innings.

Johnson is learning to survive with less than overpowering stuff. On Sunday, he worked out of early trouble against the woeful Tigers, who were shut out for the seventh time.

Detroit put runners in scoring position in each of the first five innings but couldn't come up with a big hit.

In the first, Johnson gave up back-to-back singles with one out before getting Magglio Ordonez to ground into a 4-6-3 double play. In the fourth, he gave up a leadoff double to Miguel Cabrera, then struck out Marcus Thames, got Ryan Raburn on a pop to second and retired Brandon Inge on a liner to center to keep his shutout going.

Johnson rolled from there, retiring 12 of the last 13 men he faced.

Detroit starter Nate Robertson (1-5) retired 10 of the first 11 men he faced before giving up a pair of two-out hits in the fourth. He retired the slumping Eric Byrnes on a pop foul to third to end the threat.

In the fifth, the Diamondbacks loaded the bases with no outs before Robertson struck out Johnson. Young doubled to deep center to make it 2-0.

Robertson ran out of gas with two out in the sixth. He gave up a single to Reynolds and a double to Chris Burke, and Reynolds scored on Ordonez's fielding error -- his first in 180 games.

Robertson walked Miguel Montero intentionally, then walked Johnson to load the bases.

Manager Jim Leyland brought in Freddy Dolsi, who walked Young to make it 4-0.

Notes: Ordonez was charged with his first error since April 6, 2007, at Kansas City, a span of 180 errorless games. It's the longest streak by a Detroit outfielder since Al Kaline went 242 straight errorless games from April 15, 1970, to July 2, 1972. ... Detroit OF Gary Sheffield flied out as a pinch-hitter. He went 0-for-10 on Detroit's six-game road trip and is hitting .189. ... Arizona improved to 13-8 all-time against Detroit in interleague play, and 8-3 in Phoenix.

[Associated Press; By ANDREW BAGNATO]

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