Ominous record

WASHINGTON - Here's how effective Brandon Webb was Saturday night: The only run he allowed came on a homer that might really have been a foul ball.

Last year's NL Cy Young Award winner delivered much better results in his second start of 2007 than his first, scattering seven hits over seven innings to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7-1 victory over the Washington Nationals.

Washington fell to 1-5 in becoming the only major league club since 1900 to trail by at least 4-0 in each of its first six games. The Nationals have been outscored 42-17 so far.

Wearing short sleeves even though the temperature at first pitch was 41, Webb (1-0) struck out eight and lowered his ERA from 9.00 to 4.50 - he gave up five earned runs in five innings Monday at Colorado.

Eric Byrnes - wearing a stocking cap that covered everything but his eyes when he was in right field - homered for the Diamondbacks.

John Patterson (0-2), the closest thing Washington has to an established starter, labored through a 31-pitch first inning in which he allowed three runs and two hits with two walks. The big hit was Chad Tracy's two-run double.

Patterson didn't allow another run before departing in the fifth inning, but reliever Jesus Colome gave up three in the sixth, including RBI doubles by Byrnes and Chris Young.

So that made it 6-0 heading to the bottom of the sixth, and Webb quickly got two outs. That's when Austin Kearns hit a deep fly to left that curled as it reached the foul pole and appeared to bounce off the dark green wall in foul territory.

Third base umpire Jerry Meals immediately ruled it a homer. Arizona manager Bob Melvin went out to discuss the call, while left fielder Scott Hairston trotted toward the infield to offer his view. Meals and the three other umpires huddled for a few minutes before sticking with the call, which gave Kearns his first RBI this season.

Ryan Church then doubled - all six of his hits have been for extra bases - but Webb struck out Ronnie Belliard to end the inning. The Nationals got a runner to second again in the seventh, thanks to second baseman Orlando Hudson's error, but Webb got Kory Casto to ground into a double play.

That made Washington 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position against Webb, and 0-for-24 over the past three games.

Patterson's problem was throwing strikes. Over the first two innings, he faced 11 batters and began nine with a ball.

He put together a 1-2-3 third, and perhaps not coincidentally, started each of those batters with a strike. He also held Arizona hitless in the third and fourth. In the fifth, two singles put runners on the corners with one out, but Patterson got out of it. As the last out settled into Kearns' glove to end the inning, Patterson punched the air.

That was it for the right-hander, though. He was lifted for a pinch hitter, departing after giving up three runs and four hits over five innings.

Webb buckled down when he had to - and got a bit of help from the Nationals, too. He gave up two singles in the second inning, but Dmitri Young was thrown out trying to stretch his leadoff hit into a double. In the third, two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out, but Young grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

Notes:@ Washington Redskins QB Jason Campbell threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Arizona SS Stephen Drew was back in the lineup after missing two games. ... Arizona's two steals mean Nationals opponents have stolen five bases - and no one's been thrown out trying. ... Washington's Robert Fick was ejected after striking out looking to lead off the ninth.