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Owings leads Diamondbacks over Braves with arm and bat

Aug 19, 2007 - 3:54 AM By Phil Foley PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ATLANTA (Ticker) - All it took for Micah Owings to snap out of a five-game losing streak was a trip back home to Georgia.

Owings scattered three runs over seven innings, homered twice and became just the fifth major league pitcher in the past 50 years to drive in six runs in a game to power the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 12-6 rout of the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

A native of Gainesville, Georgia, Owings (6-6) excelled as a prep school star, smashing 25 homers in his senior season at Gainesville High School to set a state record before becoming a two-way standout at Georgia Tech and finishing his collegiate career at Tulane.

Coming home to the Peach State for the first time, Owings flashed his power again by homering twice, smashing four hits and scoring four runs en route to becoming the first pitcher to drive in six runs in a game since Robert Person of the Philadelphia Phillies plated seven against the Montreal Expos on June 2, 2002.

"I am unbelievably blessed tonight," said Owings, who grew up a Braves fan and had numerous family members and friends in the crowd. "I enjoyed playing the game I waited for my whole life. It's really nice to have a game like this at all, but to be back home (it's even better)."

Former Braves pitcher Tony Cloninger set the major league mark on July 3, 1966 by smashing two grand slams and collecting nine RBI against the San Francisco Giants. Dave Giusti and Blue Moon Odom in 1969 are the only other two other hurlers to collect six RBI in a game since 1957.

"To be in that type of company is special," Owings said. "Hitting has always been a part of my game. I don't take it for granted. It's something I work on. I know I can help the team out."

Owings' offensive outburst came on the heels of fellow hurler Brandon Webb's third consecutive shutout on Friday. Webb has his own impressive streak going - the reigning National League Cy Young Award Winner has not allowed a run in 42 consecutive frames.

"That's a toss up," Webb said, whether his streak of Owings offensive prowess was more remarkable. "I'm thinking I'd stick with the scoreless streak. We know (Owings) can do it. He's a pitcher, but it's like we have a DH. We have the American League rules when he's starting."

In the second inning, the 24-year old Owings plated two runs with a double down the left field line, past drawn-in third baseman Chipper Jones. Two frames later, Owings tattooed a 1-1 offering from Atlanta starter Buddy Carlyle (7-5) an estimated 415 feet into the right field bleachers to give Arizona a 5-1 lead.

The rookie completed his multi-homer performance by smashing Carlyle's 3-2 pitch 446 feet into the batter's eye in center field for a two-run homer in the sixth.

"Obviously, I knew that Micah could swing the bat," Carlyle said. "He hit the ball 900 feet with the two home runs. You still have to make pitches. I didn't do it."

Owings lined a broken-bat RBI single up the middle off reliever Oscar Villareal in the seventh.

"I knew growing up, playing against him and with him that he could hit," said Atlanta-area native Jeff Francoeur, who faced Owings in little league and high school tournaments. "I knew he could hit. He had a great swing."

Needing just a triple to complete the cycle, Owings lined out to first base to end his 4-for-5 effort.

"I was (trying to hit for the cycle)," Owings admitted. "I was going to motor it after I took the swing."

With all the attention directed toward his hitting, Owings showed he could pitch, too.

Building off Friday's two-hit shutout by Arizona ace Brandon Webb, Owings was just as dominant. The righthander allowed three runs, three hits and struck out seven without a walk to record his first career win against the Braves.

Owings did not even allow a 27-minute rain delay in the third inning to get in the way of his sixth major league victory. After shaking off some rust by hitting Corky Miller with a pitch, Owings set down the next 14 batters before surrendering back-to-back homers by Jeff Francoeur and Andruw Jones in the seventh.

The only other mistake Owings made was to Chipper Jones in the first. The 35-year-old smashed the rookie's two-out, 2-0 offering into the first row of the right field bleachers for his 20th homer of the season, giving the Braves an early 1-0 lead.

"I fell behind him and was going to go after him," Owings said. "I was not as much nervous as I wasn't able to make the pitch on that at-bat."

Carlyle allowed a career high eight runs - five earned - and 10 hits, walked two and struck out four in five-plus innings en route to dropping his second straight decision.

A native of Hahira, Georgia, Stephen Drew smashed his ninth homer of the season in the seventh for the Diamondbacks, who improved to a league-best 24-10 since the All-Star break and remain atop the National League West Division by 4 1/2 games over the San Diego Padres (65-56).