Webb Extends Scoreless Innings Streak

ATLANTA (AP) _ Another scoreless nine innings, another step toward Orel Hershiser's amazing record. <br/><br/>Ho-hum, Brandon Webb said. <br/><br/>``Just two more shutouts? Oh, I should have that no

Saturday, August 18th 2007, 2:28 pm

By: News On 6

ATLANTA (AP) _ Another scoreless nine innings, another step toward Orel Hershiser's amazing record.

Ho-hum, Brandon Webb said.

``Just two more shutouts? Oh, I should have that no problem,'' Webb said facetiously, rolling his eyes. ``It's in the back pocket.''

Webb tossed a two-hitter for his third straight shutout and stretched his scoreless streak to 42 innings _ the 12th-longest in baseball history _ to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks past the Atlanta Braves 4-0 on Friday night.

He's 18 innings away _ two more shutouts _ from breaking Hershiser's record of 59 straight scoreless innings in 1988.

``It's still a ways off,'' Webb said. ``It's going to be real tough to do. I'm just going to go out there and try to throw up zeros as much as I can.''

In other NL games, it was Chicago 2, St. Louis 1; New York 6, Washington 2; Houston 3, San Diego 1; Cincinnati 8, Milwaukee 3; Los Angeles 6, Colorado 4; San Francisco 3, Florida 0; and Philadelphia 11, Pittsburgh 8.

Webb (13-8) became the first pitcher since Hershiser to go at least 40 innings without giving up a run and just the 21st pitcher in baseball history to reach that level of stinginess.

``We couldn't hit Webb,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox said. ``I guess nobody can hit Webb. He's that good.''

Webb started his streak nearly a month ago. He didn't allow a run in the final inning of his July 20 start against the Chicago Cubs, a 6-2 loss. He's won five in a row since then, going seven innings apiece in wins over Florida and San Diego before beginning his stretch of shutouts with a 3-0 win at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The only other pitchers since 1940 to have a longer streak than Webb are Don Drysdale (58), Bob Gibson (47) and Sal Maglie (45).

``That's probably the best stuff he's had all year,'' Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. ``To go through that lineup is unbelievable. I really don't know what to say about it.''

Chris Young had his second two-homer game of the week. He connected leading off the third against Atlanta starter Lance Cormier (0-3), then added his 24th homer of the season off Tyler Yates in the ninth.

Cormier matched Webb nearly pitch for pitch until the eighth. Conor Jackson singled to center with one out, and Mark Reynolds followed with his 11th homer of the year, driving a 3-1 pitch onto the concourse beyond the center-field seats.

The drive was estimated at 453 feet _ the sixth-longest homer in Turner Field history.

Cormier went 7 1-3 innings, allowing eight hits and three runs.

Webb got a bit of a scare in the ninth. Not wanting to walk speedy Willie Harris, he left a pitch over the plate and watched it sail toward deep right.

``I was like, 'Just go right after him. I don't THINK he can hit one out.' And, boom, he got a good piece on it,'' Webb said. ``Luckily, there was the humidity and it's a fairly deep park.''

Mets 6, Nationals 2

At Washington, Tom Glavine (11-6) picked up win No. 301 by allowing one run over seven innings to beat the franchise he's beaten more than any other.

Glavine beat the former Montreal Expos for the 33rd time, including the sixth time since the team moved to the nation's capital in 2005. He is 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA in six starts at RFK Stadium.

Damion Easley and Moises Alou homered off Nationals starter Matt Chico (5-7), Jose Reyes stole his 61st and 62nd bases, and Mike DiFelice hit his first triple in three years as the first-place Mets made sure they wouldn't lose ground in the NL East.

Cubs 2, Cardinals 1

At Chicago, Jacque Jones hit a two-run homer and made an outstanding catch to help snap St. Louis' five-game winning streak.

Rich Hill (7-7) earned his first win since July 16, allowing a run and three hits over seven innings.

Albert Pujols' 26th home run put the Cardinals ahead in the sixth. In the bottom half, Ryan Theriot singled and Jones hit his fifth homer off Cardinals starter Braden Looper (10-10).

Phillies 11, Pirates 8

At Pittsburgh, Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell homered, J.D. Durbin (5-2) won his fourth consecutive start and Philadelphia won for the fourth time in five games.

Tom Gorzelanny (11-7) gave up five runs and nine hits with two walks in five innings, striking out three.

Giants 3, Marlins 0

At Miami, Barry Zito (9-11) allowed one hit in seven innings, and Rajai Davis hit his first career home run for San Francisco.

Scott Olsen (9-10) allowed three runs _ two earned _ in seven innings. NL batting leader Hanley Ramirez went 0-for-3 with a walk, ending his career-best hitting streak at 13 games.

Reds 8, Brewers 3

At Milwaukee, Bronson Arroyo (6-13) and Cincinnati knocked the slumping and error-prone Brewers out of first place in the NL Central.

Jeff Suppan (8-10), the Brewers' $42-million free agent acquisition, is 0-3 in 10 starts since an 11-6 win over Kansas City on June 22. He gave up four runs _ three earned _ and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Astros 3, Padres 1

At San Diego, Lance Berkman hit two home runs and Woody Williams (7-12) pitched seven strong innings for Houston.

Berkman put the Astros ahead 3-1 in the eighth with a towering two-run homer to center field off Heath Bell (5-4). The home run, his 23rd, went an estimated 419 feet. It was Berkman's first mulithomer game of the season. Berkman also hit a two-out homer off starter Jake Peavy to give the Astros a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

Dodgers 6, Rockies 4

At Los Angeles, Eric Stults (1-1) allowed two hits and struck out nine over seven innings after getting recalled from Triple-A, and the Dodgers won their third straight after losing 13 of 16.

Josh Fogg (7-8) was charged with six runs and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings. Six of the hits came in the fourth, when the Dodgers scored five runs. He is 0-4 with a 5.91 ERA in his last six starts against Los Angeles.