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Young hits three-run bomb as D-Backs take commanding 2-0 lead

Oct 5, 2007 - 7:20 AM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- The combination of youth and experience served the Arizona Diamondbacks well again.

Chris Young belted a three-run homer and Stephen Drew drove in two runs as the Diamondbacks jumped on Chicago Cubs starter Ted Lilly early en route to Thursday's 8-4 victory and a commanding two games to none lead in their National League Division Series.

Former Cub Augie Ojeda had two key hits and Doug Davis pitched well into the sixth inning for the Diamondbacks, who got a seventh-inning, go-ahead homer from 24-year-old rookie Mark Reynolds and seven solid innings by elder statesman Brandon Webb in Wednesday's 3-1 triumph.

"Being able to take the first two here is huge for us," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "With Webby in the first game and then getting behind early and coming back, then being able to get both of them at home, obviously we know that at the very least it's coming back here. Now that we have a couple under our belt our expectations keep raising. That's the way it has been all year for us."

With their backs to the wall, the Cubs will host an elimination game Saturday at Wrigley Field.

"I said it before the series started, we had to hit and their pitchers have been pitching well," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "Let's see what happens in our ball park. We are going home. We've got our fans and we've got a chance to get it back here with a couple of wins and that's exactly what we will try and do."

The 23-year-old Young, who led Arizona with 32 homers during the season, hammered a 3-2 high fastball deep off Lilly into the left field seats in the second inning that gave Arizona a 3-2 lead.

"I know it was big for us but honestly I was just trying to find a way to get ahead," Young said. "He had me up early in the count, threw a curveball and made a mistake with it."

Lilly allowed the first two batters of the frame to reach and despite pitching to Young with a base open, was one strike away from escaping the jam before making the critical mistake. Lilly then slammed his glove to the ground perhaps even harder than Young hit the ball.

"I didn't ask him what he threw (to Young), but I've never seen a pitcher throw his glove like that," Piniella said. "Lilly gave it his best, it just didn't work out."

Lilly may have lost focus temporarily because the 23-year-old Drew, who also homered Wednesday, reached on an infield single before Eric Byrnes blasted a Lilly offering high off the left field wall for a run-scoring triple.

The D-Backs knocked Lilly (0-1) from the game two frames later. Ojeda led off the inning by beating out a bunt - avoiding a tag by first baseman Derrek Lee by sliding into first base. Cubs manager Lou Piniella argued to no avail that Ojeda slid out of the baseline.

After Young drew a walk with one out, Drew tripled into right-center field, scoring both for a 6-2 lead and ending the night for Lilly, who was the first lefthander to start a postseason game for the Cubs since Steve Trout in 1984.

"I don't know what it is, obviously we, the young guys, have never been though this before so we didn't know how we would react and how we would be ready for it," Young said. "We have had a lot of close games, one-run games all year so we've been prepared for situations like this."

Lilly, a 15-game winner during the season, was tagged for six runs, seven hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings to drop to 0-2 in five all-time playoff appearances.

"The home run by Young was one that I didn't get away with," Lilly said. "It was a fastball up in the zone. I need to keep that ball down regardless if it is a big game. I have to get it done. No one is happy in this locker room now but there is no question that this club can get it done. It is just a matter of going out and doing it."

Kevin Hart entered and struck out Byrnes and Conor Jackson to end that frame, but Arizona went back to work in the fifth. Walks to Reynolds and 19-year-old Justin Upton preceded an RBI base hit up the middle by Ojeda. That hit came off Scott Eyre, who was forced to leave the game when Ojeda's hit tipped off his left hand.

Davis then plated a run with a perfectly executed safety squeeze for an 8-2 lead.

And that was all the 32-year-old Davis needed. The 13-game winner during the season was charged with four runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings with four walks and eight strikeouts.

The lefthander yielded a two-run homer in the second inning to Cubs rookie Geovany Sosa, but despite struggling with his command, allowed just one more hit - an infield single to Jacque Jones in the fifth - before tiring.

"I had 40 pitches after two innings," Davis said. "I felt like when I did get ahead I then messed around. They swung at a lot of pitches that would have been balls. I was able to survive that way. When I did throw strikes I was able to put the ball in play and my defense was just outstanding."

After retiring the first two hitters in the sixth, Davis walked Mark DeRosa and Jones and departed. Pinch hitter Daryle Ward greeted reliever Juan Cruz with a double to the gap in right-center field to halve the deficit.

But Cruz got out of the sixth and Tony Pena, Brandon Lyon and Jose Valverde pitched an inning apiece to put the Cubs on the brink of elimination.

Alfonso Soriano had two singles but struck out three times for the Chicago.