INSIDE PITCH
Brandon Webb threw only 86 pitches through eight innings Tuesday at AT&T Park,
but after the Giants rallied to tie the game at 2 in the bottom of the eighth,
the right-hander's night was finished.
Manager Bob Melvin stated several factors for removing his ace to start the
ninth, including the fact that Webb had been hit in the upper right side of his
torso in the seventh inning on a Moises Alou comebacker.
But Melvin also didn't want to leave his ace out to dry, knowing Webb could get
saddled with a loss and wasn't going to pitch into the 10th if he kept San
Francisco at bay, anyway.
Webb wound up getting a no-decision when Brandon Lyon, Arizona's second relief
pitcher, allowed a two-run homer to Alou with one out in the bottom of the ninth
for a 4-2 Giants victory.
"If we had taken the lead, I would have been out there to finish it," Webb said.
"(Melvin) is watching out for me and I appreciate it. It's tough to have
somebody else go out there when you feel good and have a low pitch count, but I
totally understand it, we talked about it and I agreed."
Webb (16-7) lowered his ERA from 2.95 to a league-leading 2.88. The other
front-runner in the Cy Young Award chase, Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals, got
roughed up for six runs in a 7-5 loss to San Diego. Carpenter's ERA swelled from
a league-leading 2.93 to 3.09. Carpenter has allowed 12 earned runs in his past
two starts.
Webb has allowed five earned runs in his past four starts. On Tuesday, he had
six strikeouts, and for the eighth time this season, he didn't allow a walk.
"I don't even know how we scored two runs off of him," Giants manager Felipe
Alou said.
REPLAY: Arizona's defense had played up to perfection behind Brandon Webb for
most of the night, but when push came to shove, it was the defense that helped
prevent him from becoming the first 17-game winner in the National League as the
Giants beat the Diamondbacks 4-2 Tuesday at AT&T Park.
Third baseman Chad Tracy committed an error when he couldn't handle Pedro
Feliz's bouncing groundball to lead off the eighth. After pinch runner Fred Lewis got to third on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, Alberto Callaspo
fielded a groundball by pinch hitter Mark Sweeney, and he threw home to try and
nail Lewis.
The throw looked to be in time, but Callaspo short-hopped the ball and catcher
Chris Snyder couldn't hang on as Lewis slid in to tie the score. Moises Alou won
the game for the Giants an inning later with a one-out, two-run homer off
Brandon Lyon.
"He threw the ball beautifully, as good as he has all year," manager Bob Melvin
said of Webb. "We just weren't flawless behind him, and we didn't give him much
support."
NOTES, QUOTES
--2B Orlando Hudson rejoined the team Tuesday, arriving at AT&T Park about 90
minutes before Arizona's game with San Francisco after attending to personal
family issues the previous two days. It was thought he would be in the starting
lineup, but manager Bob Melvin went with rookie Alberto Callaspo instead.
--C Johnny Estrada said he expects to be traded by the Diamondbacks in the
offseason and his preference would be to go back to the Phillies, who signed him
in 1997.
"They're a team that obviously has a good nucleus of players, they're going to
need a catcher, and I've been there before, I know their whole coaching staff
and they know me," Estrada said. "I know what Philly fans expect, too. I know
it's a tough place to play, but the bottom line is, they want a winner on the
field and they don't care how you do it. They want you to win, they don't want
just a bunch of yes-men."
--C Miguel Montero, whom Arizona thinks could be ready for everyday duties at
the major league level next season, will make his third start behind the plate
on Saturday when -- for the third time -- he catches RHP Edgar Gonzalez.
--CF Eric Byrnes, with a home run against the Giants on Monday and a double
against them Tuesday, logged an extra-base hit in consecutive games for the
first time since Aug. 27-28.
--RHP Brandon Webb went 2-for-3 against Giants starter Matt Morris, marking the
second multi-hit game of his career. Webb also went 2-for-3 on April 7, 2004,
against the Rockies.
BY THE NUMBERS: 1-62 -- Diamondbacks' record when trailing after eight innings,
through Sept. 26.