PHOENIX (AP) -Brandon Webb limited Houston to two runs through seven innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks held on to hand the Astros their seventh loss in a row, 5-4 on Saturday night.
Webb (4-3) scattered seven hits, struck out eight and walked one to help the Diamondbacks beat Houston for the third straight game. The reigning Cy Young winner threw 98 pitches, 73 strikes. Only two outs against the sinker-ball specialist were fly balls.
With Arizona up 3-2, Eric Byrnes doubled in two runs with a bases-loaded double over the head of left fielder Carlos Lee in the seventh.
Chris Snyder doubled in a run off Houston starter Chris Sampson (4-5) in the second. Mark Loretta was 3-for-4 with a double and run scored for the Astros.
Carlos Lee hit a first-pitch, two-out home run to drive in two in the eighth and cut the lead to 5-4. Lee has 10 homers and 43 RBIs this season.
Jose Valverde pitched a scoreless ninth for his 18th save in 20 opportunities.
After Houston tied it at 2-2 with a run in the top of the sixth, the Diamondbacks regained the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning.
Orlando Hudson tripled with one out, then scored on Tony Clark’s towering sacrifice fly caught by Lance Berkman at the top of the right-field fence.
Houston got one in the first when Mike Lamb beat out third baseman Mark Reynolds’ throw for a leadoff single. Lamb advanced to third on a hit-and-run single by Loretta, then scored on a fielder’s choice by Berkman.
Sampson retired the first six Arizona batters before Carlos Quentin led off the third with a single, then scored on Snyder’s double to the right-center gap. Webb bunted Snyder to third, and Chris Young’s sacrifice fly put the Diamondbacks up 2-1.
Loretta doubled to lead off the sixth, then advanced to third when Berkman lined one off Webb’s left forearm. After a visit from the Arizona training staff and manager Bob Melvin, Webb stayed in the game. Hudson threw out Berkman on the play.
Lee’s sacrifice fly brought Loretta home to tie it at 2-2.
Sampson allowed three runs on four hits in six innings, striking out two and walking three.
The Diamondbacks go for a four-game sweep of Houston on Sunday against Roy Oswalt, who is 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA in seven starts against Arizona.
Notes: The Diamondbacks lead the majors in sacrifice flies with 26. … A three-man crew umpired the game because Jerry Crawford was out because of “medical issues.” … Webb struck out Craig Biggio four times. … Young had missed six of the last seven games with a sore groin.
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