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Rockies hit Webb early, edge Diamondbacks

Sep 3, 2007 - 12:56 AM By Bob Huhn PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PHOENIX (Ticker) -- The Colorado Rockies wasted little time getting to the Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb on Sunday.

Matt Holliday homered and had two RBI and the Rockies scored three runs in the first inning en route to a 4-3 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Despite the loss, Arizona (76-62) remains in a virtual tie with the San Diego Padres (75-61) atop the National League West. Colorado (70-66) is five games behind the leaders.

"We haven't played great as of late but we have been able to eke out that one victory," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "As long as you don't get swept, you kind of maintain, then we will hit another patch where we will play better. There is a lot of baseball left. Everybody thinks a three- or four-game swing will decide it. It will not."

Rockies starter Josh Fogg (8-9), who was winless in his three previous starts, hurled six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out six as Colorado won the rubber game of the three-game set.

"My command wasn't great by any means," Fogg said. "I had a few leadoff walks that could have hurt me but I was able to make some good pitches in the later part of innings and got enough ground balls to get out of the jams."

Two relievers bridged the gap to closer Manny Corpas, who picked up his 12th save despite allowing a single to Orlando Hudson to lead off the ninth. Corpas got Eric Byrnes to foul out and induced Tony Clark to hit into a game-ending double play to preserve the win.

Webb (14-9), who recorded a string of 42 consecutive scoreless innings from the end of July to the middle of August, was coming off his worse outing of the season August 28 against the Padres, when he was pounded for six runs in 5 1/3 innings.

On Sunday, the Rockies jumped on the reigning Cy Young Award winner early, taking a 3-0 lead after one inning. Willy Taveras started the inning with a bunt single before Webb walked Kaz Matsui. Holliday followed with a single to right, scoring Taveras for the first run.

After Webb walked Todd Helton to load the bases, Matsui scored on Brad Hawpe's sacrifice fly to left, and Ian Stewart knocked in the third run with a single.

"The first inning was pretty much the game," Webb said. "After the first inning I settled down but the first inning was the difference. I was pretty frustrated after that because I did struggle in the first but I was able to settled down."

Arizona came back in the bottom of the first with a two-out rally. Clark legged out a triple down the right field line off Fogg, scoring Hudson, and Stephen Drew's RBI single brought home Clark to cut the deficit to 3-2.

"It was a real gutsy win," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "Josh always battles and was able to stay away from the big inning. He got some key pitches and did damage control in the first."

Holliday extended Colorado's lead to 4-2 in the third with his 25th homer, a 419-foot shot over the wall in left-center. However, the Rockies managed only one more hit - a double by Stewart in the sixth - after Holliday's blast.

"I never come off his (Webb's) fastball. I try to hit his fastball the other way and I feel that I can handle the breaking balls," Holliday said. "It was a first-pitch curveball and I was able to hit it. I don't know what the numbers are but I am doing a better job against him this year."

Webb did not allow a run in his final four innings, retiring 12 of the 13 batters he faced. He went seven innings, giving up the four runs and five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Arizona cut the lead to 4-3 in the seventh when Hudson tripled off reliever LaTroy Hawkins and scored on Byrnes' groundout to second.