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Byrnes ignites three-run 12th as Diamondbacks stop Padres

Apr 19, 2007 - 7:05 AM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Eric Byrnes and his teammates picked up for Robbie Hammock and Chris Young.

Byrnes drove in the go-ahead run in the 12th inning and Orlando Hudson doubled in two more as the Arizona Diamondbacks overcame a critical error for a 5-2 triumph over the San Diego Padres.

The extra-inning showdown overshadowed stellar performances by starting pitchers David Wells and Brandon Webb, who struck out 13 batters but was denied a win when Young dropped a routine fly in center field in the eighth inning.

"Webbie threw such a great game that we wanted to at least come away with a win for the team," Byrnes said. "A good effort like that, you don't want to waste."

Hammock bunted into a double play on an attempted sacrifice in the 12th inning before Scott Hairston doubled off Mike Thompson (0-1). Stephen Drew was intentionally walked before Byrnes lined a base hit to right field, plating Hairston for a 3-2 lead. Hudson then chased both runners with a double down the right field line for a 5-2 edge.

"The way this team rebounded after that (dropped ball) and to scrap out those runs late is a big confidence booster for this team," Byrnes said. "(The pitch) was a fastball that came in on me, but I was fortunate enough to stay inside it and get it to go over."

"We liked the matchup better with Mike against Byrnes," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Simple as that. We elected to walk Drew and then the inside-out sort of looping line drive to right."

Tony Pena (1-1) worked the 11th for the win and Jose Valverde worked around a one-out single by Brian Giles in the 12th for his seventh save.

"All in all, the bullpen came in again and was unbelievable," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "We've seen that for the most part of the year. We didn't do much offensively, but we got just enough."

With Webb exhibiting his Cy Young form, Arizona would not have needed the 12th-inning heroics if not for Young's miscue.

"Boy, you hit (Young) 500 out there - or 1,000 - and it's not going to happen again," Melvin said. "I actually didn't see it. I looked down to mark my (scorecard) and I looked up and the ball was on the ground. I doubt that happens again any time soon."

Adrian Gonzalez worked a one-out walk before Khalil Greene grounded a single through the left side to plate Giles for a 2-2 tie.

Webb allowed two runs - one earned - and seven hits in eight innings with two walks. The righthander struck out six straight batters between the second and fourth innings.

"It was a different type of game than I'm usually used to, but it worked out really well," Webb said. "I was getting ahead of hitters and working the offspeed late. I was even trying to get quick outs with ground balls, but it kind of worked out different."

With the game tied at 1-1 in the seventh, Wells loaded the bases on two hits and a hit batter before walking Conor Jackson on a 3-2 pitch after getting ahead 0-2. However, with none out, Wells worked his way out of the inning without another run scoring.

"It's tough when you don't win, and you have opportunities to win but you don't," Wells said. "You play your heart out and to end it like that is not very good."

The 43-year-old Wells left after the seventh, yielding just two runs and three hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

"I felt great," Wells said. "I felt really good. I was throwing the ball where I wanted to, throwing strikes, keeping the ball down. You wish you could throw like that every night, but sometimes it just doesn't happen."

"Boomer pitched great," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He was outstanding. There's no other word for it. Both guys pitched well."

Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, when Hudson plated Drew with a groundout. Drew led off the game with a double and advanced to third on a flyout by Byrnes.

San Diego drew even in the bottom half, when Marcus and Brian Giles singled and Marcus Giles scored on a groundout by Adrian Gonzalez. Webb fanned Greene and Terrmel Sledge to escape the first and third situation.

The Padres failed to collect an extra base hit in the game and stranded 11 runners, one night after leaving 18 on in a 14-inning affair at Chicago.

"We're going to get those guys in," Black said. "It's just baseball."