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Johnson, Diamondbacks sweep Giants

Jul 28, 2008 - 1:18 AM By Ryan McCrary PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- Mark Reynolds clubbed a two-run home run and Stephen Drew drove in a pair as the Arizona Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 7-2 decision Sunday afternoon.

In a duel between a pair of former Cy Young Award winners, Randy Johnson easily outpitched Barry Zito, winning his fourth straight decision and pushing his season record over .500 in the process.

"I'm making my pitches when I have to, I feel a lot more comfortable with my mechanics," said Johnson, who returned to Southern California over the All-Star break to work out and train. "Obviously I've been around this game long enough to know that you're going to pitch well at times and pitch poorly - it's like hitting slumps.

"You just have to fight your way through it. It's nice to be on a roll and doing my part and be counted on."

Johnson (8-7) pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed nine hits with two strikeouts and no walks in collecting career win No. 292.

"They got a few hits off him, but when he had to make a pitch he did," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "He's still a power pitcher, he's still got a terrific slider, and on certain days we'll see plus-velocity and other days we won't. He's found different ways to do it."

After three scoreless innings, Zito gave up a four-spot in the fourth. The lefthander walked four in the frame, including a bases-loaded free pass to Chris Snyder, and Tony Clark drove in one on a groundout. Drew stroked a two-out, two-run single to left-center for a 4-0 lead against Zito, who needed a whopping 42 pitches to escape the frame.

Reynolds golfed a 2-0 Zito offering into the bleachers in left-center for a 6-0 lead in the fifth. The two-run blast was the 21st of the season for Reynolds and his second of the series.

Zito managed just five innings - the 12th time this season he has failed to record an out in the sixth - and allowed six runs and six hits with four strikeouts and five walks. In addition, Zito matched his career high for most losses in a season.

"The first three innings it looked like he was on," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "He was throwing strikes and locating well. He just got out of sync in the fourth."

"I was nit-picking a little bit in that fourth inning instead of being more aggressive," Zito said. "This was frustrating. I stuck with a good approach the last few games and fell back into what I was doing a little bit earlier this year, which was grinding instead of being free and easy."

Conor Jackson drilled a leadoff homer to left to start the seventh, giving his 13 hits in his last 19 at-bats.

Neither Jackson nor Melvin really wanted to talk about the offensive tear Jackson is on, although Johnson claims it's one of the best he's ever seen.

"I'm feeling good. There's nothing more I can say," Jackson said. "That's all I've got for you. I'm getting my pitch to hit and I'm taking advantage of it."

"He squares it up a lot," Melvin said. "You can see he's not swinging at bad pitches. He sees the ball very well. It's quite a roll he's on."

San Francisco avoided the shutout, scoring on a double-play grounder in the eighth. John Bowker added an RBI single in the ninth off Tony Pena.

Fred Lewis enjoyed a big day for the Giants, going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two steals.

"I tip my hat to Randy Johnson," Lewis said. "I was just going up there trying not to strike out. I was trying to hit the first pitch that was hittable."

Drew extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a 3-for-4 afternoon for the Diamondbacks.