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Petit shuts down Cubs as Diamondbacks take series

Jul 22, 2007 - 10:57 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Yusmeiro Petit was unfazed by the hottest team in the majors.

Petit threw six outstanding innings and Chris Snyder homered as the Diamondbacks posted a 3-0 victory over the red-hot Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Petit (2-2), who was making his fourth start in place of the injured Randy Johnson, quieted a Cubs' offense that had scored 29 runs in the previous four games.

It was quite an accomplishment for the young Venezuelan considering Chicago also entered the game 17-6 at home and a major league-best 28-14 since June 3.

"Petit has done a great job for us," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "There is maybe one game that we have not been in that he started for us."

Petit allowed just three hits and did not issue and walk. He also struck out five in throwing 61 of 88 pitches for strikes to deny Chicago its fifth consecutive series win at home.

"You are not going to win every series," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "Look, a 7-3 homestand is pretty good. We will move on to St. Louis from here."

The 22-year-old righthander allowed just one runner into scoring position. That came in the third inning when Alfonso Soriano hit a two-out double to left field, but was stranded when Ryan Theriot hit a comebacker to end the threat.

"Yusmeiro did his job by all means today," said Snyder, who was behind the plate for Petit's fine effort. "He held them down today, when he fell behind he would work himself back into the count. He made them (Cubs) put the ball in play and let our infielders do the work."

Rookie Mark Reynolds and Snyder provided all the runs Petit needed. Reynolds had an RBI single in the first and Snyder hit a leadoff homer - his seventh of the season - off reliever Carlos Marmol in the seventh for a 2-0 lead.

Arizona scored three or less runs for the seventh time in eight games, but it was enough in this one.

"That was huge," Snyder said. "The way things have been going any run we can get or scratch out is big."

One batter after Snyder's home run, Marmol walked Chris Young, who stole second before Orlando Hudson also drew a base on balls. Young later scored on a two-out bloop single off the bat of Conor Jackson for a 3-0 advantage. Marmol avoided further damage by striking out Reynolds with runners on the corners.

Diamondbacks righthander Tony Pena threw a scoreless seventh and Brandon Lyon worked the eighth before All-Star closer Jose Valverde worked around a leadoff single to convert his 30th save in 33 chances.

Jackson had a pair of hits for Arizona, which won for just the fifth time in 15 games and captured its first road series since June 15-17.

Meanwhile, Chicago lost its second straight despite the best efforts of Sean Marshall (4-4). Winless in his last four starts, Marshall allowed just one run and five hits in six innings with five strikeouts.

"I can take some confidence out of this start," Marshall said. "To bad we didn't score the runs that we needed to, but that happens to every team at certain times of the year."

Jason Kendall, who was acquired from the Oakland Athletics on Monday, recorded his first hit for the Cubs, who lost 3-2 on Saturday after Stephen Drew hit go-ahead homer off closer Bob Howry in the eighth.

Chicago, which finished 7-3 on its 10-game homestand, will get a boost on Tuesday as Derrek Lee returns from serving a five-game suspension for his role in a brawl with the San Diego Padres on June 16.

"I am looking forward to coming back," Lee said. "It's not easy watching these games from the clubhouse."