Webb's MLB-leading 19th victory cruises D-backs by Padres

PHOENIX (AP) -- It was a career night all around for Brandon Webb -- the most victories he's ever racked up in a season, plus the hardest shot he's ever absorbed in the majors.

Webb pitched seven shutout innings for his career-high and major league-leading 19th victory Thursday night in the Arizona Diamondbacks' 4-1 win over the San Diego Padres.

He was also hit by a sharp comebacker from Kevin Kouzmanoff in the sixth. The ball ricocheted off Webb's chest but he picked it up and flipped it to Tony Clark to end the inning.

"This is the worst one, for sure," Webb said, describing the discomfort. "It got me pretty square, then I had to go toward first base but I had to get the out. As bad as it hurt, I just went after it and was able to make the play."

Arizona manager Bob Melvin said there was no cause for concern, not after trainers found no injury and Webb (19-4) joked about the shot in the dugout. Later, he showed it off for teammates in the postgame celebration.

"When we came inside, I said, 'I'm going to take my shirt off and give everybody high-fives,' " Webb said. "That was a good show."

A marvelous show, actually.

It was the sixth straight winning start for Webb, giving him eight wins in his last 11 starts. He allowed three hits with eight strikeouts, both tying season bests, as the Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep.

"I've got a lot of confidence, especially with the guys hitting out there and playing defense behind me the way they are," Webb said. "I've been able to get down in the zone, low, and get a lot of ground balls and strikeouts."

Afterward, much of the talk focused on how Webb seemed as solid as during his 9-0 run to open the season.

"The sinker had great action. The changeup was really good tonight," Padres manager Bud Black said. "It just has such action down below the hitting area. Out of the hand it looks like a good pitch to hit and you have to commit."

Arizona won for the eighth time in the last 10 games and maintained a two-game lead over Los Angeles in the NL West. The Diamondbacks improved to 34-16 against division opponents.

Clark hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning and Connor Jackson had a two-run double in the fifth, both off Chad Reineke (1-1).

Jackson hit a liner over Kouzmanoff's outstretched glove at third base that rolled into the left field corner, scoring Augie Ojeda and Chris Young, who both singled, to make it 3-0. Chris Snyder added an RBI single in the eighth for Arizona.

Brandon Lyon pitched the ninth allowing Edgar Gonzalez's two-out RBI single.

"It put a little length between us and L.A.," Jackson said. "Now's the time of year we start looking, when we start following other teams and looking at the scoreboard. We need to take care of business."

Webb, who hasn't lost since a 5-3 decision at Minnesota on June 22, walked three. His previous career best record was 18-10, set last season.

"It was a good win," Webb said. "Pretty much from here on out it's just so close. We're trying to win every game for the team. If I clean up on decisions, great, but I'm just trying to go out and get deep into the game, give us a chance to win."

Boston's Josh Beckett won 20 games last season, but the NL hasn't had a 20-game winner since Chris Carpenter of St. Louis, Roy Oswalt of Houston and Dontrelle Willis of Florida in 2005.

Even when Webb got into trouble, he kept the ball down and escaped.

After San Diego's Brian Giles hit a leadoff single in the fourth and Adrian Gonzalez walked, Webb recovered to strike out Kouzmanoff and Chase Headley swinging, then Nick Hundley grounded out.

"He gets more people to chase pitches down in the zone, so you just have to be really patient and really selective at what you swing at," San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez said.

Reineke, who beat the Phillies last Saturday in his major league debut, worked six innings, allowing three earned runs and five hits. He walked three, one intentionally, and had four strikeouts.

Adam Dunn, who leads the league with 34 homers, was intentionally walked in the fifth and drew another one in the eighth, boosting his major league lead to 94. He had seven walks, two home runs and five RBIs in the series for Arizona.

Game notes
LHP Randy Johnson, who starts Friday against Florida, holds Arizona's franchise record with 24 wins in 2002. ... Padres LHP Shawn Estes, coming back from a broken left thumb, will pitch Tuesday for San Diego's Triple-A team in Portland. ... Padres C Josh Bard, on the 15-day DL with a strained right elbow, worked out Thursday. Black said he could be activated Friday in San Francisco. ... Arizona's last shutout was a 3-0 win at San Diego on July 29. The Diamondbacks' last three-game sweep was July 25-27 in San Francisco. San Diego hadn't been swept since a four-game series July 17-20 at St. Louis.