Sports Radio Service


		Webb gets no-decision in Cy Young battle By Daniel Dullum September 27, 2008

	PHOENIX, Ariz. – It’s not easy to play for pride, which the Arizona Diamondbacks are doing right now as their season skids to a disappointing halt. And it’s not much easier to chase individual honors. Arizona’s Brandon Webb is a prime candidate for the National League Cy Young Award, along with San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum and closer Brad Lidge of Philadelphia. He’s been down this road before – winning in 2006 – and knows that one game does not decide a vote he has no control over. “I feel good where I’m at,” Webb said in reference to the Cy Young Award, which he won in 2006. “I’m pretty confident. I don’t compare my numbers to anyone else’s, really. I just go out and try to do the best I can and hopefully that’s enough.” Webb feels his body of work over six months should decide that kind of recognition. “It’s like in ’06, I went out there and did terrible in my last start. It was the worst outing I’d had all year,” he recalled. “One game isn’t gonna kill ya.” With his team officially eliminated from the pennant race, Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin didn’t have much to say after the 6-4 win, but noted, “I’m glad he got a no-decision instead of a loss. To me, he’s still in the same position as before. “Early on, it looked like he had a great sinker, but it was a little more lateral later in the game. There were some pitches that weren’t going down like they normally do.” Webb struck out seven, walked two, but gave up four earned runs and had a brief lapse of control where he hit Chris Ianetta and Cliff Barmes – the Rockies’ seven and eight hitters – to set up a three-run rally that took him out of the decision. “Normally, you don’t see him do that,” Melvin said. “Especially with right-handed hitters. He can usually come back with a sinker that goes down and in. When the ball is up like that, that means he’s getting a little ahead of himself.” “Me and Snyds (catcher Chris Snyder) talked about that last night, how [Ianetta’s] forearm is really exposed. As soon as I threw the pitch, he did that. I thought, ‘No way. We just talked about that 24 hours ago. That’s why BoMel comes out and kind of argues that [it was intentional on the batter’s part]. “On the next one, that’s two in a row and that’s kind of disappointing, how that unfolded. But that’s the way it goes.” Webb (22-7) also struck again with his bat, delivering a sacrifice bunt in the third and driving in two runs with a double in the fourth inning (his fourth two-bagger of the season), giving him 11 RBI. He’s hitting a robust .136 and proud of it, acknowledging, in jest, that no one has ever won the Cy Young and the Silver Slugger in the same season. “I just got a couple of pitches to hit there, laid down a good bunt and got a big double,” Webb said. “I’m feeling good going into next year in the game we play (with teammate Dan Haren, another good-hitting pitcher). Danny’s got some work to do now! Yeah, I’m going after getting some pinch-hits next year, especially on some lefties coming in!” And, referring to St. Louis Manager Tony LaRussa’s plan to hit his pitchers eighth in the lineup in 2009, he added, “Against lefthanders, maybe I should be batting seventh or something!” The Diamondbacks put together a three-run rally to get the win, their 81st of the season, but it came an inning too late to help Webb’s Cy Young cause. Brandon Lyon picked up the win and Chad Qualls got the save. Even if Webb didn’t get win No. 23, he still feels that his performance in the month of September should speak for itself, as far as any postseason recognition is concerned. “Five wins is a great month,” Webb said. “If you get five wins in a month, you’ve done a great job. Hopefully, the five wins is enough to put me over the top.” Presumably, Webb will find out for sure after Lincecum, his primary competition for the Cy Young, faces the Dodgers Sunday. Lincecum is going after his 18th win, leads the NL in strikeouts and has a 2.33 ERA. Not everything glitters Understandably, the public relations departments of major league baseball teams don’t like to shine too much light on every milestone their players have or are about to approach. For that reason, somewhere, Dave Nicholson continues to breath a sigh of relief. A $100,000 bonus baby signed by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1958, Nicholson became the easiest batter to fan in major league history, striking out once every 2.48 at-bats in his brief career. In 1963, his 175 whiffs while with the White Sox set a big league record. To Nicholson’s great relief, that mark has since broken in the American League by Texas’s Pete Incaviglia (185 in 1986), Rob Deer of Milwaukee (186 in 1987) and by Oakland’s Jack Cust with 192 this season. National Leaguers who have passed Nicholson on the all-or-nothing list include Bobby Bonds with 187 in 1969 for the Giants, Adam Dunn with 195 in 2004 (then with Cincinnati) and Ryan Howard of Philadelphia with 199 in 2007. Dunn, by the way, picked up his 40th home run and 100th RBI on a solo blast to center in the sixth inning for Arizona. With one game to play, Arizona’s Mark Reynolds can tack on to 201 K’s he’s registered for the new strikeout mark, pushing Nicholson further back into oblivion. Howard, by the way, is on Reynolds’ tail, with 198 strikeouts going into the final day of the season. But it’s not like all Reynolds does is strike out. He’s been productive for the Snakes, picking up his 98th run batted in in the eighth inning to go along with 28 homers. Unfortunately, he also leads the NL in errors with 34. The last player to lead the league in errors and strikeouts was Zoilo Versalles of Minnesota in, of all years, his MVP season of 1965. Versalles struck out 122 times and committed 39 errors, yet still won the Gold Glove. Reynolds’s goal for 2009 is simple – to become more disciplined at the plate and cut down on the strikeouts. The Diamondbacks like his upside, both defensively and offensively, and would hate to be forced to give up on him.