Their roster isn't pretty. Neither are their numbers. But the D-backs found a way in Game 1, and Randy Hill says that's just their style.

  Josh Beckett's second straight playoff shutout confirms his stature as the ace of a scary-good Red Sox rotation, Jeff Goodman says.

  The franchise has lived in obscurity. But now, Tracy Ringolsby says, the Rockies are on the national stage...and making the most of it.

  The Saints are 0-3 coming out of a bye. New Orleans has one last shot to turn its season around in Mike Tanier's Rundown.

  Brandon Webb won the duel in the desert.Webb shut down the Chicago Cubs with his superb sinker, and the Arizona Diamondbacks got home runs from two of their kids in a 3-1 victory Wednesday night in their NL playoff opener.Stephen Drew homered in the fourth off Chicago ace Carlos Zambrano, who was pulled after six innings and only 85 pitches.Right after he left, Mark Reynolds homered on the fourth pitch from reliever Carlos Marmol to break a 1-all tie in the seventh.

  Josh Beckett is Mr. Zero when October rolls around.The MVP of the 2003 World Series pitched his second consecutive postseason shutout and, backed by a home run from David Ortiz, led the Boston Red Sox over the Los Angeles Angels 4-0 Wednesday night in their AL playoff opener.Beckett retired 19 consecutive batters after a leadoff single, allowed just four hits and ran his postseason scoreless streak to 18 innings.

  So much for a slugfest. This was a pitcher's duel.Jeff Francis held the league's highest-scoring team in check, and the Colorado Rockies took advantage of one shaky inning by Cole Hamels to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in Game 1 of their NL playoff series Wednesday.Making just the second postseason appearance in the franchise's 15-year history, the Rockies played like October regulars. Colorado posted only its second postseason victory, the other coming in 1995.

  St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who has been playing with two broken ribs, will be replaced by backup Gus Frerotte for Sunday's home game against Arizona."Bulger is hurt, and Frerotte is the quarterback until Bulger's ribs heal," Rams spokesman Rick Smith said.Coach Scott Linehan told both quarterbacks Tuesday.The 36-year-old Frerotte started 15 games in 2005 for Miami, where Linehan was the offensive coordinator at the time.

  Walt Jocketty is out after 13 seasons as general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, one year after the team won the World Series for the first time since 1982.