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RECAP
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GAME LOG
PHOENIX (AP) -- Finally, Randy Johnson has his 16th victory, and
he didn't give the Arizona bullpen a chance to blow it.
|  | | Randy Johnson tossed a complete-game four-hitter to go 16-4. |
The Diamondbacks overcame Sammy Sosa's 42nd home run of the
season, and fourth in three games, and rallied from a four-run
deficit Sunday to win their seventh in a row and complete a
three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs, 5-4.
Johnson (16-4), winless in his previous five starts, threw a
four-hitter for his first victory since July 20. He is tied with
Atlanta's Tom Glavine for the National League lead in victories, and his seven
complete games are tied with teammate Curt Schilling and Toronto's
David Wells for most in the majors.
"The last month I've been trying to pitch a game and I just
haven't pitched the type of game I would like to pitch," Johnson
said. "I gave up some runs and put us in a little bit of a hole
and we came back. I needed to pitch a little bit better than I've
been pitching and I was able to do that late in the game and make
sure they didn't get anything together. You make one bad pitch with
guys on base and Sammy Sosa comes up, you pay the price."
Johnson matched his season high with 13 strikeouts. He walked
three and hit a batter. It was the 19th time in 27 starts this
season Johnson has reached double digits in strikeouts.
Johnson gave up only one hit after Chicago's four-run third inning.
"We had him down, a little frustrated," Cubs manager Don
Baylor said. "We let some things happen and let him back in the
game."
Greg Colbrunn was 3-for-4 with a one-run double in the fourth
and a two-run double in the sixth as the Diamondbacks pulled to a half-game of first-place San Francisco in the NL West. Colbrunn,
Arizona's full-time first baseman now that Erubiel Durazo is
injured, is hitting .510 (25-for-49) in his last 12 starts with three
homers and seven doubles.
Colbrunn said he probably hasn't had a streak like this since
high school.
"You play baseball for a long time, you're going to have good
streaks and you're going to have bad streaks," he said. "The key
is once you get on the good streak is to try to keep it going."
During Johnson's winless streak, he had left the game with a
one-run lead three times. This time, Johnson approached manager
Buck Showalter after striking Sosa out to end the eighth.
"He said 'I'm not coming out of this game,"' Showalter said.
"I said, 'I know.' He's a warrior. We've got a lot of warriors on
this team who step up in times of need, and it's a lot of fun right
now."
Johnson struck out the first four batters he faced and five of
the first six, but the Cubs, losers of eight of their last nine,
scored four in the third.
Three of them came on Sosa's two-out smash into the left-field
seats on Johnson's first pitch to him.
"I go up there against him and try to be ready," Sosa said.
"Everybody knows he's a power pitcher. He got me a couple of
times, but I got him. That's part of the game."
Sosa homered in three consecutive games for the third time this
year and 18th time in his career. He has eight hits in 41 at-bats
against Johnson, but four of them have been homers. He struck out
twice and hit into a double play in his other three at-bats Sunday.
"The one key time he comes up with guys on base is when it
hurts you," Johnson said. "You already give up one run early in
that inning. Next thing you know it's 4-0. ... I'm real glad we
won. We pick up a game now and go on."
Chicago starter Daniel Garibay pitched five strong innings, but was
relieved by Steve Rain with the bases loaded and one out in the
sixth.
Colbrunn doubled past a diving Damon Buford in center field on
Rain's first pitch to drive in two and make it 4-3.
Rain (3-3) walked Damian Miller on four pitches to load the
bases again, then Danny Bautista singled in the tying and go-ahead
runs.
Buford led off the third with a double, then scored on Jose
Nieves' single. With two outs, Johnson walked Ricky Gutierrez and
had to face Sosa, whose first-pitch homer made it 4-0.
Garibay, winless in four starts since being recalled from
Triple-A Iowa, allowed four runs on five hits. He walked three and
struck out four.
Game notes
The Diamondbacks placed Durazo on the disabled for the third time
this season with pain in his surgically-repaired right wrist. First baseman Alex Cabrera was recalled from Triple-A Tucson. ... Johnson threw a
100 mph fastball that Sosa fouled off on a 3-2 pitch in the first
inning, then struck him out with a slider. ... Luis Gonzalez
extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the
seventh. ... Johnson hit Mark Grace in the back with a 95 mph
fastball in the sixth inning. ... With the crowd of 43,636, the
Diamondbacks passed the 9 million mark for their three-year
history.
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