(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Well, that went about as well as could be expected, didn’t it? Last week, the Diamondbacks had struggled their way through Milwaukee, and had split the first two games in Wrigley Field. If you’d come up to me and offered a bet that Arizona would reel off seven straight after that, I would have wagered various parts of my body that it wouldn’t happen. But here we are: the team has taken eight in a row, retook the lead for the National League wild-card, and is back in a tie with the Dodgers for the division, their best position in over a month. How the hell did that happen? Who cares. Enjoy it while it lasts. Here’s how we got there.

AZ 3, Cubs 0 Yusmeiro Petit pitched six shutout innings, allowing only three hits, and combined with three relievers on a four-hitter, as the Diamondbacks blanked the Cubs. Chicago only had one at-bat with a man in scoring position all afternoon, and the Arizona staff were in full control, walking none and striking out nine opposing hitters. After Petit finished his day’s work, Pena, Lyon and Valverde allowed one hit and struck out four over the final three innings. with Papa Grande notching his 30th save.

Arizona took the lead in the first, an RBI single by Reynolds scoring Byrnes, who had singled and stolen second. However, that was all the scoring until we got to the Chicago bullpen. Chris Snyder greeted their relief corps by homering, and Chris Young followed the Byrnes route to home-plate, stealing second and coming home on an RBI single, this one by Conor Jackson. Jackson and Snyder both had two hits and a walk, while Orlando Hudson received two free passes.

AZ 4, Marlins 3 The D-backs came back not once, but twice, finally taking the lead for good in the sixth, on a two-out single by Chris Snyder that scored Hudson. O-Dawg had earlier tied the game at three with his own RBI single, Young having double to lead off the inning. That made a winner of Doug Davis, who pitched into the seventh inning and delivered a quality start. He kept the walks in check, only allowing two, while striking out eight Marlins, a season-high.

It didn’t look that way early on, as Florida jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, on three hits and a walk. However, Hudson levelled things in the third with a blast to left-center, that also scored Augie Ojeda - it was his eighth of the season. He had two hits and three RBI on the day, while the two Chris’s, Snyder and Young, both had back-to-back multi-hit games. The bullpen were solid again, retiring seven of the eight hitters they faced.

AZ 9, Marlins 3 The long-dormant Diamondbacks’ bats exploded, scoring more runs by the end of the third inning, than in any game since the first contest after the All-Star break. A groundout from Byrnes opened the scoring in the first, and a Miguel Montero sacrifice fly doubled the advantage, but it was a four-run third that blew the game open. Hudson homered, Tony Clark singled, Scott Hairston walked with the bases loaded, and Montero had another sac. fly, giving Arizona a 6-0 lead.

They largely cruised from there on in, with Livan Hernandez going seven innings and allowing only one run. As with Davis, his control was the key, with only one walk allowed. Edgar Gonzalez did allow two runs in his inning of work, but as he had an 8-1 lead, it hardly mattered. Young and Hudson had three hits apiece, with Montero adding two, as the team pounded out 13 hits in total.

AZ 7, Marlins 0 You might have been forgiven for thinking this was a re-run, as Arizona leapt out to a 7-0 lead by the end of the fourth inning, for the second night in a row. Young homered to lead off the game, and this time, it was a five-run third that sealed the game. Opposing pitcher Scott Olsen had been chased, Tasered and arrested by Florida cops the previous weekend, and Arizona administered their own brand of justice, with eleven hits and three walks in five innings.

Meanwhile, Brandon Webb settled down very nicely after walking the bases loaded in the first. Those were the only free passes he allowed, and he struck out eight over seven innings of shutout ball. Juan Cruz and Doug Slaten completed the seven-hitter. On offense, Byrnes, Conor Jackson, Reynolds, Stephen Drew and Hairston all had multi-hit games. Snyder continued his good streak, which had earned him a promotion to sixth in the lineup, by reaching safely three times, with a hit and two walks.

AZ 7, Marlins 4 Arizona completed a four-game sweep of the Marlins, but this one was more by sleight of hand than force. Micah Owings exited after three innings, having faced five hitters in the fourth, and retired none [but having hit his first major-league homer in the second, off former D-back Byung-Hyun Kim]. Dustin Nippert inherited a bases-loaded, no-out situation, but escaped it brilliantly, and the bullpen threw six shutout innings in total.

Meanhile, the offense struggled, managing only two hits through seven innings. However, both of these were two-run homers: as well as Owings, Jackson went deep in the seventh to tie the game at four. The drama came in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Byrnes smacked an 0-2 pitch from Armando Benitez into the home bullpen for a dramatic, three-run homer to win it. Arizona scored seven runs on only five hits, in a game that also featured five hit batters and ten walks.

AZ 8, Braves 7 I never doubted Arizona would win, despite blowing a 7-0 lead - after all, the team is 31-0 when scoring seven runs or more, dating back to August 4th last year. And if you believe that confidence, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you, for this had all the signs of a disaster. Not through the front four, however: AZ again roared out to a 7-0 lead, with a six-run second, and homers by Drew, Byrnes and Young. Meanwhile, Petit was pitching a no-hitter. What could possibly go wrong?

Er, how about everything? The offense dried up, even unable to score after loading the bases with no outs in the seventh. Meanwhile, the Braves clawed their way back to 7-6, with super-veteran Julio Franco driving in three. Then, Jose Valverde blew his fourth save, a bloop single driving in a runner who stole second while our closer was rambling around the mound. However, Tony Clark saved the day with an eleventh inning, pinch-hit homer, making a winner of Edgar Gonzalez, who retired all six hitters he faced. Young, Hudson and Byrnes had two hits each.

AZ 4, Braves 3 The D-backs enjoyed their third walk-off hit in consecutive games, Conor Jackson driving home the game-winner in the tenth to extend Arizona’s winning streak to eight games. Chris Young led off the game with his 18th homer, tield with Ryan Braun for the most by a rookie in the majors this year. The D-backs added two more in the fourth, on a sacrifice fly by Byrnes and a double to the outfield wall by Jackson, and with a three-run lead, this looked well in hand.

The Braves mounted another comeback though: Davis walked two hitters in the third and that bit him, as both came round to score; an intentional walk to get to the opposing pitcher also backfired, as Smoltz got an infield RBI. However, that was all the scoring, with Davis posting his fifth straight quality start. Pena and Cruz kept the Braves off the board for the final three innings, and after the Braves intentionally put Byrnes on, to get to Jackson, he made them pay with his third hit of the day, scoring Young from second. Just another walk-off win for Arizona. Pass the Rolaids.

News and Notes

Soaring: Chris Young (11-for-28, 3 HR); Conor Jackson (9-for-21, 7 RBI); Brandon Webb (7 IP, 0 ER, 8 K); Tony Pena (5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 5 K). Falling: Mark Reynolds (4-for-24, 12 K); Stephen Drew (5-for-24); Micah Owings (3 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 ER); Edgar Gonzalez (3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER).

Injury Report Randy Johnson is gone for the season: he’ll undergo back surgery to repair what’s basically a relapse of the herniated disc issue that required an operation last fall too. The hope is, that by getting it done now, he’ll be ready in time for Spring Training in 2008. Chad Tracy is struggling with tendinitis in his knee, which has meant he has started only one of the last eight games. He’s had a cortisone shot, but there’s not really much that can be done, save rest.

The week ahead The D-backs will try for a season-high ninth straight win tomorrow at Chase, hoping to finish off a sweep of the Braves. They then have Monday off, before entering a crucial road-trip, playing three games each against their closest divisional rivals, the Padres and Dodgers.

Free Scott Hairston Long-term D-backs prospect Scott Hairston was traded to the San Diego Padres for minor-league reliever Leo Rosales. Hairston had been inconsistent all season, and had never lived up to expectations, with some pre-season estimates predicting 25 homers. He did only get limited playing time, but his performance in those games didn’t really merit more than that.

Farm Problems Couple of nasty revelations down in our minor-league system. At Tucson, outfielder Donnie Sadler, who had a cup of coffee in the majors earlier on this year, tested positive for a banned substance and has been suspended for 50 games. That, however, is mild compared to Joel Melendez of Class-A Yakima, who was arrested and charged with third-degree rape, and is accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl at the team’s hotel in Oregon…

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