CINCINNATI — The defending NL West champions opened the season the way they spent much of the last one: winning a close one.

Brandon Webb pitched six innings today, and the light-hitting Arizona Diamondbacks piled up three solo homers in a 4-2 victory that dampened Dusty Baker's debut as the Cincinnati Reds manager.

Webb (1-0) allowed three hits and a pair of runs in six innings for a breakthrough victory. The right-hander had 34 wins the last two seasons — tied with Carlos Zambrano for most in the NL — but hadn't gotten a victory in two opening day starts.

Pitching against the team he followed as a youth, the northern Kentucky native finally won an opener with a six-strikeout performance.

A new-look bullpen held onto this one. Brandon Lyon, assuming the role of traded closer Jose Valverde, pitched a perfect ninth for the save, closing out a combined three-hitter.

Chris Young and Eric Byrnes homered off Aaron Harang (0-1), and Jeff Salazar added his third career pinch-hit homer off Jared Burton in a rare show of power by the Diamondbacks' lineup.

Ken Griffey Jr. made no progress in pursuit of his 600th career homer. He remained seven shy after going 0-for-3 with a walk. Griffey is second all-time in opening day homers with seven — one behind Frank Robinson — but hasn't hit one since 1999.

The Reds turned the opener into a tribute to former pitcher and broadcaster Joe Nuxhall, who died last November. A cold, misty rain was falling when Reds coaches and players took the field for pregame introductions wearing jerseys that had Nuxhall's No. 41 and his name on the back.

All but Harang switched into their regular jerseys for the game. Harang got permission from Major League Baseball to wear his during the game, then donate it to the team's hall of fame.

In different ways, both teams were looking for big change at the outset.

The Diamondbacks won the NL West despite one of the league's worst offenses — a collective .250 batting average that ranked last. They're counting on the continued development of the majors' youngest roster to improve the offense.

For the Reds, it's about ending a seven-year losing streak, their worst in a half-century. Baker's job is to bring a winning attitude to a clubhouse that knows little about it.

In the opener, Arizona got exactly what it wanted.

Young, who set a club rookie record with 32 homers last season, sent a solo shot into the upper deck in left field in the third inning. One out later, Byrnes homered for a 3-0 lead.

Young helped the Reds get back into it, letting Brandon Phillips' hit to center skip past him for an RBI triple in the fourth. Phillips scored on Adam Dunn's groundout, making it 3-2 and putting the Diamondbacks on familiar ground.

Last year, Arizona led the majors with 32 one-run wins.