Arizona's Webb goes the distance against Phils, moves to 8-0
Posted: Thu May 8 6:09 PM
Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Brandon Webb threw a complete game, and Chris Snyder went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in, as Arizona earned a four-game split with an 8-3 win over Philadelphia.
Webb (8-0) surrendered three runs -- two earned -- on six hits with four strikeouts, and equaled his start to the 2006 campaign. That season he also won eight consecutive decisions, and went on to win the National League Cy Young Award.
Mark Reynolds went 3-for-4, while Justin Upton and Chris Young each homered for the Diamondbacks, who have won just three of their past seven.
Brett Myers (2-3) struggled in five innings of work, as he gave up seven runs -- six earned -- on nine hits, while walking three and striking out five.
Shane Victorino went 2-for-4 and scored twice, while Eric Bruntlett had two hits and an RBI for the Phillies, who won just one of six games against Arizona last season.
"(Webb) pitched a good game. I don't want to take anything away from him because he is a tremendous pitcher," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "But at the same time we scored a run in the first inning, but he just completely shut us down the rest of the game until the ninth. But it doesn't matter. He did a good job. We just couldn't do anything with him."
Victorino led off the game with a single, advanced to second on a ground out and went to third on a passed ball. Chase Utley brought him home with a sacrifice fly to center, giving the Phillies the 1-0 lead.
Young, though, put Arizona on top for good in the bottom half with a two-run homer, his second in as many games and eighth of the season.
Myers held steady until the fourth inning, when he dealt leadoff walks to Upton and Stephen Drew. Reynolds then tapped a grounder to short, but Bruntlett was unable to race in and make the throw in time, and every runner was safe.
Snyder then ripped a double down the left field line to plate two runs for a 4-1 Arizona lead, and a pair of fielding mishaps increased the cushion.
Chris Burke grounded toward short, but third baseman Greg Dobbs deflected the ball, and Reynolds raced home. After Webb flied out, Bruntlett then made a nice play on Eric Byrnes' grounder up the middle. But Utley dropped the shovel throw -- looking to complete a double play and end the inning -- to load the bases again.
Augie Ojeda then put the Diamondbacks up 6-1 with a sacrifice fly to center.
Arizona added another run in the fifth. Reynolds hit a single to center that drove in Drew, who had tripled with one out. In the seventh, Arizona took an 8-1 lead on Upton's sixth homer of the season.
Meanwhile, through eight innings, Webb set the Phillies down in order in the second, third, fifth, and seventh frames, and allowed just one baserunner in each of the other four.
Entering the ninth, Webb had thrown just 88 pitches, though Philadelphia tacked on two more runs on RBI singles from Bruntlett and Ryan Howard. But the Arizona starter got Geoff Jenkins to ground into a double play to notch his 13th career complete game.
"I told him he had one hitter to get two outs," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "If you want to stay out here and go 8 2/3 that's fine, but you better get a double play ball if you want to end this game." Game Notes
Webb leads all MLB pitchers in wins...Philadelphia starts a three-game series in San Francisco on Friday...Arizona travels to Chicago on Friday for a three- game set against the Cubs...Time of the game was 2:10...Myers ended up with 101 pitches, while Webb had 104.
