PITTSBURGH — Arizona manager Bob Melvin's last-minute move to play Micah Owings would have been a great one even if Owings hadn't pitched one of the best games of his career.

Owings was 4-for-4 with three doubles and three RBI while pitching 6Z\c innings to boost the Diamondbacks over the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-0 Thursday and stop a three-game losing streak for the NL West leaders.

Given an ominous weather forecast, Melvin decided less than an hour before game time to hold back ace Brandon Webb (17-10) and pitch Owings (8-8).

The Diamondbacks have a one-game division lead heading into a three-game series today at Colorado with Webb on the mound. Arizona leads San Diego, which beat Milwaukee 9-5, by a game. Colorado, which beat Los Angeles 10-4, was two games back.

"I was eating breakfast when they told me, and a lot started running through my mind," Owings said. "It got back to the fact I've got to go out and do the best I can, try to help my team and not try to do too much."

Do too much? How much more could he have done?

Owings allowed four hits, struck out four and walked none. In his previous start, he beat San Francisco 5-0 on Sept. 18 with a two-hitter.

Owings hit an RBI double during a three-run second against John Van Benschoten (0-7), then added a two-run double in the seventh off Romulo Sanchez. Overall, it wasn't as big a game statistically as his two-homer, six-RBI day against Atlanta on Aug. 18, but Owings pitched better than he did in beating the Braves 7-6.

Owings was lifted when it finally began raining, but only briefly, during the seventh. Play was held up only 18 minutes, but Tony Pena replaced Owings when the game resumed.

"The main thing is we're still in first place," Owings said. "I wish I could say the pressure was on and I wanted to be the guy to step up, but I think anybody in this room would say that."

Pena, Dustin Nippert and Yusmeiro Petit finished Arizona's 12th shutout of the season with a scoreless inning apiece.

Stephen Drew homered, singled twice and had three RBI to support Owings, a .339 hitter who has 11 extra-base hits this season, including four homers. Owings, 4-for-5 at Atlanta on Aug. 18, became the first pitcher with two four-hit games in one season since the Yankees' Whitey Ford against the St. Louis Browns on Aug. 3, 1953, and at Washington nine days later.

Van Benschoten, a former first-round draft pick in danger of being taken off the 40-man roster following several years of arm problems, lasted only two innings, giving up four runs and six hits while elevating his ERA to 10.15. The Pirates lost their 10th in 12 games despite winning the previous two nights.

"The pitches I threw for balls were in the wrong places, the pitches I threw for strikes were in the wrong places," Van Benschoten said. "I've got to be a lot better. I've got a long offseason to figure it out."