And there was Brett Myers, again trying in vain to put together back-to-back solid outings.

That combination resulted in an 8-3 Diamondbacks win yesterday that split the four-game series and sent the Phillies on to San Francisco with a 20-16 record.

Afterward, there were mixed emotions on how Myers pitched. The veteran righthander seemed at a loss for words, obviously frustrated with his failure to follow up a solid outing Saturday, when he pitched seven innings and bounced back from perhaps his worst outing of the season, when he allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings against Pittsburgh on April 27.

"I definitely didn't give us any opportunity to stay in the ballgame," said Myers, who fell to 2-3 with a 5.33 ERA. "I can't put together back-to-back good starts. I don't know what the problem is."

Catcher Chris Coste, who has been behind the plate in Myers' last two starts, said his stuff wasn't the problem.

In the fourth inning, Myers gave up four runs despite allowing only three balls out of the infield.

He walked the first two batters, then gave up an infield single to Mark Reynolds, setting up a two-run double by catcher Chris Snyder.

Myers gave up two more runs in the inning, one of which was unearned because of a botched doubleplay in which Chase Utley dropped a flip from Eric Bruntlett while trying to make the turn.

"I think the key with him is, I just hope that he doesn't try to reinvent something, because the stuff he had today easily could have been two runs," Coste said. "There's such a fine line between success and failure today. One pitch in each at-bat was the difference."

Manager Charlie Manuel saw both sides, saying Myers didn't have the same problems that plagued him in the past, but also saying he needs to pitch better.

Diamondbacks centerfielder Chris Young's two-run home run in the first inning gave the Diamondbacks a quick lead; Stephen Drew's triple in the fifth inning preceded an RBI single by Reynolds.

"Their hits definitely fell, but at the same time, they hit some balls awful hard, too," Manuel said.

But it's hard to imagine anybody would have outpitched Webb, who allowed only three hits in the first eight innings and weathered a small rally in the ninth to record his first complete game of the season.

Webb's velocity isn't the fastest, but Phillies hitters said afterward the movement on his pitches is hard to prepare for on video or in batting practice.

"Being in the box, you get a better appreciation for what he is able to do," said Greg Dobbs, who went 0-for-3 while starting at third base in place of Pedro Feliz.

In terms of silver linings, centerfielder Shane Victorino's performance on the basepaths was one of the few. In the first inning, the centerfielder led off with an infield single, then hustled to second on a ground ball by Bruntlett, killing any possibility of a doubleplay and forcing Drew, the shortstop, to throw to first. Victorino advanced to third on a passed ball and scored easily on a deep sacrifice fly by Utley.

In the ninth, Victorino led off with a single, stole second, then scored on a single by Bruntlett. Bruntlett, the only other Phillie to get two hits off Webb, scored on a one-out single to rightfield by Ryan Howard.

"He pounds the zone, he throws all his pitches for strikes - it's tough to face a guy like that," said Victorino, who finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

All in all, the Phillies can't be horrified at their first 4 days out West. They split four games with the team with the best record in the majors, and will head to San Francisco expecting the return of MVP shortstop Jimmy Rollins from an ankle injury.

When these teams meet again in July, it could provide a better barometer of how they stack up.

"I think, first of all, [the Diamondbacks] are going to improve - right now, they are in first place and they are playing good," Manuel said. "They are pretty good right now, but, at the same time, I think they will get better. I think when we get all of our guys back, we'll see how good we are." *

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.