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Tracy, Diamondbacks get key hits, rally for win

Jul 15, 2007 - 6:03 AM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Chad Tracy and the Arizona Diamondbacks know how to come through in the clutch.

Tracy hit a single to center field off Scott Linebrink in the eighth inning to plate Orlando Hudson as the Diamondbacks rallied for a 5-4 victory over the San Diego Padres on Saturday.

Hudson hit a leadoff double and, one out later, Tracy reached Linebrink (2-2) for the winning single for Arizona, which is 9-for-18 with runners in scoring position in taking the first two games of the series.

Brandon Lyon (6-3) threw a scoreless eighth and All-Star closer Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth for his 27th save in 30 chances.

"Right now, we are getting hits at the right time," Tracy said. "Right now, we look refreshed, we are hitting the ball and putting up runs with two outs and putting hits together. It's good."

Trailing 4-1, Arizona rallied in the seventh, loading the bases against reliever Heath Bell with none out and cashing in for three runs. Bell gave up three consecutive singles and a sacrifice fly to Stephen Drew that cut the deficit to 4-2.

Jeff Salazar hit an opposite-field single to left and fellow rookie Miguel Montero hit an RBI single to left, plating Tracy to draw Arizona within a run. Mark Reynolds, another rookie, lifted a sacrifice fly to right off Cla Meredith to score Tony Clark and forge a tie.

"Big hits, no one was trying to do too much," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "No one was tying to leave the park right there. They were pitching us away and we were taking what they were giving us.

"Good at-bats across the board. Once we started to string some hits together, we had a good feeling we were going to win the game."

It was a surprisingly bad outing for Bell, who surrendered three runs and five hits after allowing just five runs in his previous 14 2/3 innings.

"They were just hitting the ball," Bell said. "Wherever I was throwing it, they were hitting it. I don't think I was up in the zone. (Chris) Young dominated, but when I gave up all those hits in a row, it gave them momentum."

The righthander saw his microscopic ERA rise to 1.78 for San Diego, whose bullpen entered the game with a major league-leading 2.45 ERA.

The implosion by the bullpen spoiled a terrific effort by the All-Star Young, who lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.97.

The 6-10 righthander, who allowed Ichiro Suzuki's inside-the-park homer in Tuesday's All-Star Game, retired the first 13 hitters he faced and allowed just one run and two hits with eight strikeouts in six innings.

San Diego manager Bud Black defended his decision to pull Young, who had thrown 96 pitches through six innings and was working on three days' rest.

"He had 96 pitches, he was on three days' rest and we had a fresh bullpen, and if I'm not mistaken, the best bullpen in baseball," Black said. "I didn't think it was necessary for Chris to have to grind out over 100 pitches when we still have 2 1/2 months left in the season."

The 28-year-old Young, who is unbeaten in his last 11 starts, allowed his first home run in 13 outings when Clark hit a solo blast to left in the fifth that made the score 4-1.

Young said he agreed with Black's decision.

"We still have the best bullpen in the league after tonight, and more than luck, we will when the season finishes," Young said. "Buddy made the right decision to take me out then. I felt good and my slider came along because early, it wasn't that great. But I felt good."

San Diego jumped to a 4-0 lead on homers by rookie Kevin Kouzmanoff, Khalil Greene and Brian Giles.

Greene set a new career high by hitting his 16th homer of the season for San Diego, which has dropped three straight.