The Colorado Rockies must be tired of seeing Brandon Webb by now. That probably goes for the rest of the National League, too.
Backed by Stephen Drew’s career-high four hits, Webb became the major leagues’ first nine-game winner when the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Rockies 8-5 on Thursday night.
Webb has won his first nine starts, the most since San Diego’s Andy Hawkins won his first 10 in 1985, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Webb has won 11 straight starts dating to last September, with three wins this season coming against the Rockies.
“Nothing was in the middle,” Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. “The breaking ball was sharp and down, the changeup was a good pitch. The sinker had good late life.”
Arizona manager Bob Melvin lifted Webb with one out in the eighth after Matt Holliday singled to make it 5-3. Webb threw 111 pitches, and left to a standing ovation from the Chase Field crowd of 21,447.
He allowed three runs on six hits, walked one and struck out eight, a season high.
“Doing his thing again,” Melvin said, before conceding the only fault he could find in yet another sparkling outing. “He got a little tired at the end.”
In other NL games, it was the New York Mets 1, Washington 0; the Los Angeles Dodgers 7, Milwaukee 2; Pittsburgh 11, St. Louis 5; the Chicago Cubs 4, San Diego 0; Houston 8, San Francisco 7; and Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 0.
Webb wasn’t all that dazzled on a clear, 85-degree night in the desert.
Drew nearly hit for the cycle, and Chris Snyder hit a three-run homer as the Diamondbacks improved to a major league-best 26-15. They’re 8-1 against the defending NL champion Rockies, and 20-5 against the weak NL West.
Drew singled in the first, tripled in the third and doubled in the fifth against Colorado starter Aaron Cook. Drew had two chances at the cycle – doubling in the sixth off Josh Newman and reaching on an error against Brian Fuentes in the eighth.
“He’s swinging it better than anybody we have right now,” Melvin said. “He’s been quite the force for us.”
Cook (6-2) came in almost as hot as Webb. He had won a franchise-record six straight starts, a streak that began on April 13 at Chase Field.
But Cook struggled from the start, when the Diamondbacks greeted him with consecutive singles by Chris Young, Drew and Orlando Hudson. Young scored on Hudson’s hit.
Cook stranded runners in scoring position in the second, third and fourth. The Diamondbacks finally got to him in the fifth.
Young led off with a double and scored on Drew’s double. Hudson walked, and one out later, Snyder hit an 0-2 pitch 412 feet into the left field seats to give the Diamondbacks a 5-0 lead.
“The biggest blow right there was Snyder hitting the home run, of course,” Cook said. “I felt like I have a chance to get out of any situation I’m in, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to make pitches when I needed to tonight and it cost us the ballgame.”
Cook pitched five innings, his shortest outing, and allowed a season-high five runs on 10 hits. He walked four and struck out six.
Mets 1, Nationals 0
At New York, Willie Harris’ diving catch in the ninth helped preserve a win for Jason Bergmann, who was recalled from Triple-A before the game and gave up just three hits with nine strikeouts in seven innings.
Mike Pelfrey (2-4) held Washington hitless until Aaron Boone’s leadoff single in the seventh. He allowed one run and three hits in 7 2-3 winnings, the longest outing of his career.
But he was outdone by Bergmann (1-1), who didn’t allow a runner past second.
Dodgers 7, Brewers 2
At Milwaukee, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent and Gary Bennett homered during a six-run seventh inning, leading Chad Billingsley and the Dodgers past Milwaukee.
Billingsley (3-5) didn’t allow a hit until Brewers starter Ben Sheets, a career .078 hitter, singled with two outs in the fifth. Billingsley gave up three hits and struck out five.
Sheets (4-1) allowed six runs off nine hits. He had five strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings.
Pirates 11, Cardinals 5
At St. Louis, pinch-hitter Jason Bay’s three-run homer off Jason Isringhausen snapped an eighth-inning tie and capped Pittsburgh’s rally from a four-run deficit.
Isringhausen (1-5) was demoted from the closer’s role last week and was serving as the setup man for Ryan Franklin, but ended up with his sixth blown save in 17 chances.
John Grabow (3-1) got the last two outs in the seventh for the Pirates.
Cubs 4, Padres 0
At Chicago, Ryan Dempster struck out a career-high 12 and hit a go-ahead single against Greg Maddux during a four-run fifth inning for Chicago.
Dempster (5-1) allowed six hits in 8 1-3 innings and walked one, leaving after 115 pitches. He retired 15 straight batters after a first-inning single by Brian Giles, who had three hits.
Maddux (3-4) allowed four runs and 11 hits in 4 1-3 innings.
Astros 8, Giants 7
At San Francisco, Lance Berkman splashed his major league-leading 15th home run into McCovey Cove, breaking a ninth-inning tie and helping Houston rally past the Giants.
Pinch-hitter Darin Erstad hit a tying, three-run homer in the eighth and Carlos Lee also homered in the inning off Tyler Walker, who faltered on his 32nd birthday. Berkman connected off Vinnie Chulk (0-2) for the first splash-hit homer by an Astro.
Tim Byrdak (2-0) got two outs for the win and Jose Valverde struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 14 opportunities.
Phillies 5, Braves 0
At Philadelphia, Cole Hamels pitched his first career shutout, Ryan Howard homered and the Phillies moved within a game of the NL East-leading Florida Marlins.
Hamels (5-3) gave up four hits, struck out six and walked two in his first complete game of the season.
All three Phillies homers came against Braves starter Chuck James (2-3), who allowed the five runs on six hits and five walks over four shaky innings.
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