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Webb remains perfect; Diamondbacks cruise past Phillies

May 8, 2008 - 11:58 PM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Brandon Webb rewrote a page of the Arizona Diamondbacks' record book.

Webb pitched a six-hitter as the Diamondbacks cruised to an 8-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

Chris Young hit a two-run homer and Chris Snyder added a two-run double for Arizona, which earned a split of its four-game set with Philadelphia.

Webb (8-0) yielded three runs while striking out three to become the first Diamondback to record a victory in his first eight starts.

"I felt early on that I had real good stuff, even in the pen. I felt great," Webb said. "It was probably the best I felt in three games. I went out there with confidence, knowing that my arm was feeling good."

The righthander surpassed the mark set by current teammate Randy Johnson, who won his first seven outings in 2000.

"Today, Brandon might have been as good as he has all year," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "The last couple of innings, his arm slot got a little lower and his sinker got a little more lateral, but that's the best sinker we have seen in three or four outings."

Webb also became the first hurler in the major leagues to start 8-0 since Jon Garland did it for the Chicago White Sox in 2005.

"Brandon is off to a great start," said Arizona catcher Snyder. "He's been throwing strikes, getting ground balls and conserving his pitches."

The 2006 National League Cy Young Award Winner, Webb threw 71 of his 104 pitches for strikes in holding an opponent to three runs or less for the seventh time this year.

"Brandon is able to win games when he doesn't have his best stuff, and for me, that is the key to having the type of success he is having right now," Melvin said.

Webb allowed a run in the first inning, as Chase Utley lifted a sacrifice fly. But Young responded in the bottom half with his eighth homer of the season, a two-run blast off Brett Myers (2-3).

"After the Phillies scored on the sac fly, I settled in nice and my team gave me a lead, like they have done almost every time this year, which is amazing," Webb said. "After that, I just focused and was real aggressive with the fastball."

Arizona batted around against Myers in the fourth inning, which was highlighted by Snyder's two-run double to left field, to increase the lead to 6-1.

"Chris (Young) got us off the nice start early on, but Myers has been tough on us," Melvin said. "In the middle innings, it didn't seem like we were having good swings. Then all of a sudden, we got the big inning off of him."

"I definitely didn't give us any opportunity to stay in the ballgame," Myers said. "I can't put together back-to-back good starts. I don't know what the problem is. I made some good pitches they hit. I made some bad pitches they put out."

Myers gave up seven runs - six earned - and nine hits with three walks and five strikeouts in five innings. The Phillies have lost each of his last three starts.

Meanwhile, Webb rolled through the first eight innings, surrendering just three singles. He gave up run-scoring base hits by Eric Bruntlett and Ryan Howard in the ninth before wrapping up his first complete game of the season and 13th career.

After Howard's single drove in Bruntlett from second base, Melvin began to make his way to the mound. But both Webb and Snyder waved him off, sending the Diamondbacks manager back to his seat on the bench.

"I wanted to finish the game, (Melvin) knows I wanted to finish the game," Webb said. "He told me I had one batter to finish the game, but he gave me the opportunity to finish it."

Snyder echoed Webb's sentiments.

"I was lobbying for him to stay in," Snyder said. "Complete games don't come by that often."

Webb then induced Geoff Jenkins to ground into a double play, just like Melvin suggested.

"I told him he has one hitter to get two outs," Melvin recalled. "If he wanted to stay out there instead of going 8 2/3, that's fine, but you better get a double-play ball if you want to end this game. Snyds was arguing more than Webby. He was begging to keep him in."

Mark Reynolds, who went 3-for-4, had an RBI single in the fifth and Justin Upton added a solo homer in the eighth for Arizona.