PHOENIX -- When Prince Fielder's first-inning line drive landed in left field and Gabe Gross trotted home from third base, Brandon Webb's scoreless-innings streak was over at 42.

The right-hander took off his cap to mop his brow and then acknowldeged the 31,720 at Chase Field, who stood to recognize the longest scoreless streak since the Dodgers' Orel Hershiser set the record of 59 in 1988.

"It was really a relief," Webb said of the streak coming to an end Wednesday.

The defending NL Cy Young Award winner is known for his calm, unflappable demeanor, but as the scoreless innings mounted, so did the media scrutiny, and it became harder and harder for Webb to put the streak out of his mind.

"I was feeling it a little bit today, with all the attention it was getting, so to get it out of the way in the first inning I think was a relief," Webb said. "And I was able to get back pretty quickly and get back to where I wanted to be and ended up throwing a pretty good ballgame."

Indeed, Webb allowed two runs on five hits over seven innings to win his sixth straight start and raise his record to 14-8.

One of the reasons for Webb's success since the streak began on July 20 was outstanding command, but that seemed to be absent in the first inning as he fell behind Milwaukee hitters.

Gross led off the game by grounding a 3-1 pitch into center for a single. Gross stole second and moved to third when Craig Counsell grounded out to first.

"I was just trying to make a good quality pitch and pretty much not let him do what he did, which was hit the ball to the right side where [Gross] could score on a sac fly," Webb said of Counsell moving Gross to third.

D-backs manager Bob Melvin elected to play the infield in, an unusual move in the first inning, but one Melvin had said that he would consider to keep the streak alive.

"It was an easy decision for me to bring it in," Melvin said. "But obviously Fielder's a pretty good hitter."

Webb fell behind Fielder 2-1 and missed his location with a curveball, which allowed Fielder to single sharply to left to score Gross and end the streak.

"It was supposed to be a backdoor curveball away and it ended up catching a little more of the plate and it was up and he was able get under it and lifted it out to left field," Webb said.

"Everybody knew about the streak," said Fielder. "So I wasn't trying to do too much. Just take what he gave me."

With the first-place D-backs holding a 3 1/2-game edge over the Padres in the NL West, every game is important, and it didn't take long for Webb to focus back on the task at hand.

"It was a streak that was amazing to me that I was able to do that," Webb said. "It's been like a no-hitter with great plays behind me the whole time, and that's what kept it going so I tip my hat to my teammates as well."

Webb retired the next two hitters to end the inning and as he entered the dugout, Melvin spoke to him for the first time since the streak began.

"I said, 'Way to go, now move past it will you,'" Melvin said with a smile.

Before Wednesday, the last time Webb allowed a run was July 20 at Wrigley Field when the Cubs' Jacque Jones blooped a single to center that scored Aramis Ramirez.

In his next outing, Webb tossed seven scoreless innings against the Padres in San Diego.

On Aug. 5, he tossed a shutout against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, which touched off a streak of three straight shutouts. That not only vaulted him into the NL lead for shutouts, but he became the first big leaguer to toss three straight since Roger Clemens did it in August 1998.

"It takes luck, but it also takes a lot of skill," Melvin said. "And his skill through 42 innings was like nothing I've ever seen before."

The streak didn't propel Webb into the record books, but it did push him front and center into the Cy Young race.

"I don't know if it's the streak -- the scoreless innings have obviously brought my ERA down a ton," Webb said of his Cy Young chances. "But the wins that have come with it have also helped out a lot in that regard, I think.

"It was fun while it lasted, and I hope to start another one."