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Byrnes, Tracy help Diamondbacks survive ninth-inning collapse

Aug 2, 2007 - 7:27 AM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Jose Valverde hit another speed bump, but the Arizona Diamondbacks proved to have good shocks.

Eric Byrnes drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning and pinch hitter Chad Tracy blasted a three-run homer as the Diamondbacks overcame a second straight blown save by Valverde to post a 9-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.

Jeff DaVanon led off the 11th with a double to left field off Heath Bell (4-3) and was sacrificed to third by Augie Ojeda. After Orlando Hudson drew a two-out walk, Byrnes hit a slow roller that shortstop Khalil Greene could not handle, allowing DaVanon to score for a 6-5 lead.

"I hit it about three inches from my knuckles and then just ran like I stole something," Byrnes said of his hit, which barely reached the infield dirt.

Hitting for Valverde, Tracy followed with a blast to center field to provide some insurance as the Diamondbacks won for the 10th time in 11 games.

"We've played some resilient games before this year, but that was by far the best," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "When you give up four like that with your closer in the game, to come back and do what we did speaks volumes about what this team has been able to do."

Valverde (1-3), who is second in the National League with 32 saves, also blew a save opportunity against Atlanta on Friday, but Arizona posted an 8-7 win in 11 innings.

The 11th-inning outburst on Wednesday again got the righthander off the hook. Valverde, who entered with none out and a runner on second, allowed three runs - including a game-tying, two-run homer by Milton Bradley.

After San Diego mustered just one run in the first eight innings, Bradley capped a four-run ninth by blasting a two-run shot off Valverde. Rookie Kevin Kouzmanoff sparked the comeback with a leadoff double off Brandon Lyon and scored on a double by Geoff Blum to cut the deficit to 5-2.

Valverde came on and struck out the next two batters before allowing an RBI single by Mike Cameron. Bradley then hit the first pitch he saw just over the right field wall, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

"We showed a lot of character coming back," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We didn't give up. We battled against an All-Star closer and got four runs."

The heroics by Bradley spoiled a sold start by Arizona's Micah Owings. The rookie was on his way to his first win since June 20 after allowing just one run and four hits in six innings.

"Micah was beautiful tonight," Melvin said. "To go out there and give us the kind of performance he gave the team today was kind of the first step in winning this game. It's too bad we couldn't get him a win because he pitched great tonight." Fellow rookie Chris Young did his best to help Owings by making a spectacular catch to rob Cameron of a grand slam in the fifth.

With Arizona protecting a 2-1 lead, San Diego loaded the bases with two outs for Cameron, who hit the eighth pitch of his at-bat to deep right-center field. However, Young saved the day as he sprinted to the wall and made a leaping grab to end the threat.

"I was just out there trying to make a play and get Micah out of a little jam, and I ended up getting it," Young said. "When I got back to the wall, I realized I was going to have to go up and try to get it, and I just happened to come down with it."

"You're hoping that the yard is going to hold it," Melvin said. "When CY went back, I didn't think he was going to be able to catch it. I really didn't. He made a running play where he's not even back there to be able jump up, and he has to do it on the fly and on the run."

Arizona took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on RBI doubles by Owings and Young and padded the lead with a three-run sixth.

San Diego's ninth-inning rally helped David Wells avoid losing three straight starts for the first time since 2003, when he was a member of the New York Yankees. The portly lefthander allowed five runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.

San Diego has struggled of late, losing 12 of 19 since the All-Star break.

"We're just going to continue to do the same thing and keep plugging away," Cameron said. "Every team goes through a rut or a bad stretch, and this is it for us and hopefully we'll come out of it. We lost a tough game tonight. We battled back, and they basically did the same thing. It's a tough loss to take."