D'backs get the jump on the Cubs

The tiebreaking blast came four pitches after Lou Piniella pulled dominating starter Carlos Zambrano, who had struck out eight and yielded one run on just 85 pitches through six innings.

And it came because Chicago's manager wanted to bring his ace back on three days' rest should there be a Game 4.

"I'm keeping the door open that he can pitch Sunday," Piniella had said before the game. "That means we won't let Zambrano throw all that many pitches."

Sinkerballer Brandon Webb, who struck out nine, got the victory with seven strong innings. After Reynolds' homer and pinch-hitter Conor Jackson's sacrifice fly in the seventh, Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin could comfortably lift Webb.

Piniella figures to be grilled about his decision right up until the start of tonight's Game 2, when Chicago's Ted Lilly will face the Diamondbacks' Doug Davis.

"We'll shorten him up," Piniella had said of Zambrano earlier, "100 pitches, whatever it is. We've got a good bullpen. We believe in it."

The bitter Game 1 loss to an Arizona team whose lineup is filled with no-names undoubtedly lessened the belief of Cubs fans. This was just one more of the many misfortunes that have affected their team in the 62 years since their last World Series appearance, the 99 years since their last championship.

After Reynolds' leadoff homer in the seventh, Marmol walked Chris Snyder, then yielded a double to Augie Ojeda and Jackson's sacrifice fly.

Jose Valverde pitched the ninth to pick up the save.

If it weren't nearly 100 degrees outside, if the surroundings weren't more moonscape than landscape, and if this massive, sliding-roofed, swimming pool-equipped stadium weren't the antithesis of Wrigley Field, you might think you were in Chicago.

Downtown Phoenix was teeming yesterday with Cubs fans who flocked to the plaza outside Chase Field hours before the start of the game.

Diamondbacks officials estimated that as many as 10,000 Cubs fans - many of them relocated retirees or those accustomed to coming here for training camp - were in the sellout crowd of 48,864.

It sounded like more.

"We have so many fans, here and everywhere on the road," Lilly said. "There's a lot of support for this team all around the country. Lots of people want to see us have success in the postseason."

So concerned were Diamondbacks officials that whenever a Cubs cheer arose, the scoreboard flashed, "Let's Go, D'Backs."

Likewise, the sportswriters' pregame questions tended to be not about the ho-hum home team but about the Cubs, their fans, and their 99-year world-championship drought.

"I think that's enough. I don't need . . ." Piniella began, before stopping and deciding to answer another question on the topic. "We should just be concerned about the 2007 Cubs. What transpired in the past is of no significance. . . . What happened in the past happened. I don't think it has any bearing."

The poor Diamondbacks even seemed to be an afterthought to their manager.

"This is a very exciting time for us," Melvin said, "to be able to play a team with the history that the Cubs have."

There were some concerns in Chicago about Zambrano, an 18-game winner in the regular season who was 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three previous playoff games, heading into his first postseason appearance since 2003.

The Cub ace's emotions, like his pitches, have plenty of movement.

But while several hitters in Arizona's no-name lineup got ahead of him, they weren't making good contact early, and the big pitcher stayed cool in the 91-degree heat. After Chris Young's leadoff single, the Diamondbacks did not get another hit until the fourth.

Chicago, meanwhile, was either hitting ground balls or striking out against Webb.

"He's good - no doubt about it," Piniella said before the game. "You've got to make him get the ball up."

Leading off the fourth, Stephen Drew, J.D.'s younger brother, sent a 1-0 fastball 432 feet, well beyond the wall in right-center field, and Arizona had a 1-0 lead.

After Chicago loaded the bases in the sixth - a Derrek Lee single and two-out walks to Mark DeRosa and catcher Geovany Soto - Ryan Theriot's two-out infield single tied it, 1-1.