Los Angeles, CA - Brandon Webb hurled his first shutout of the season, extending his scoreless streak to 24 innings, as the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks finished off a three-game sweep of Los Angeles with a 3-0 victory at Dodger Stadium.
The win also moved the Diamondbacks (63-50) 13 games over .500 for first time since the final day of the 2002 regular season.
Webb (11-8) scattered just seven hits in a complete-game effort, struck out four and did not walk a batter en route to his fifth career shutout. He has won three consecutive starts and improved to 7-4 in 14 road starts this season. He also beat Los Angeles for the third time in 2007.
“I felt great today,” said Webb. “I had pretty good command on my sinker and was able to keep my pitch count down. It was a good day for the sinker.”
Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton each had two hits and knocked in a run for Arizona, which has won five of its last six games and 13 of 15 overall. The NL West-leading Diamondbacks also moved four games ahead of the Dodgers in the division.
Failing to get back in the win column was Los Angeles ace Brad Penny (13-3), who has dropped back-to-back decisions for the first time this season. The bulky right-hander allowed three runs on six hits, fanned five and did not walk a batter over seven innings.
Russell Martin and Andre Ethier had two hits apiece for the Dodgers, who have lost four straight and nine of their last 11 games. They’ve also dropped six of their last seven at home.
Arizona put together a two-run rally in the second to take the lead. Conor Jackson slapped a leadoff single to right, moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Stephen Drew and a single by Reynolds put runners at the corners. Upton followed with a double, bringing home Jackson, and a sac fly by Chris Snyder plated Reynolds to make it 2-0.
The middle of the lineup answered the call again in the fourth, as Jackson ripped a double to center and scored on a one-out single by Reynolds.
The Dodgers got a scare in the fifth when Penny was hit on his pitching hand trying to sacrifice Ethier to second. Penny took a moment to shake off the pain, got back in the box and lined a single to left, but Webb escaped the jam by retiring Rafael Furcal on a fly ball and Juan Pierre on a pop out.
“(Webb) had good stuff and kept the ball down,” said the Dodgers first baseman James Loney. “We hit ‘em right at people.”
Game Notes
The Diamondbacks claimed left-handed pitcher Joe Kennedy from the Oakland Athletics late Saturday and optioned right-hander Dustin Nippert to Triple-A Tucson…Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent is still nursing a strained left hamstring and missed his sixth straight game…Penny notched his 100th strikeout of the season when he fanned Orlando Hudson with one out in the first inning…Webb is 8-3 in 13 career starts against LA…The Diamondbacks are 55-2 when leading after the eighth inning.
