Berkman Ejected Again As Astros Win      

[June 09, 2007]  CHICAGO  (AP) -- Lance Berkman and Phil Garner got ejected and the Houston Astros got a great slide from Hunter Pence for a go-ahead run Friday night in beating the Chicago White Sox 5-2.

Chris Sampson (6-5) allowed six hits in 6 2-3 innings and the Astros won despite the early exits of right fielder Berkman and manager Garner, who were ejected during fourth-inning arguments with home plate umpire Sam Holbrook.

Both struggling teams are far removed from the ones that met in the 2005 World Series 20 months ago. Houston's win was just its fifth in 21 games. The White Sox have lost 11 of 13.

Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said it seems like 30 years have passed since the White Sox swept the Astros for the title.

"It seems that way to me too," Garner said before the game. "We're not exactly where either one of us wants to be right now."

Berkman, who is appealing a two-game suspension announced Friday by major league baseball for his outburst following an ejection earlier this week, was tossed again in the fourth inning for arguing a called third strike with Holbrook. Berkman had to be stopped from going back to the plate by Carlos Lee as Garner argued. Moments later Garner was also ejected.

Berkman had been ejected Tuesday night in the eighth inning of a game at Colorado after arguing a third strike. He then threw his glove and a bag onto the field from the dugout. He violated rules by returning in the ninth inning when the benches emptied after the Rockies' Manny Corpas hit Lee with a pitch.

Lee, in his first game at U.S. Cellular Field since being traded away by the White Sox after the 2004 season, doubled to right center and scored on an RBI double by Chris Burke to make it 2-1, minutes after the two ejections.

Chicago tied it in the bottom of the inning on A.J. Pierzynski's double, an infield out and Rob Mackowiak's RBI single.

The Astros regained the lead in the fifth as the speedy Pence doubled and scored on a single by Luke Scott _ Berkman's replacement _ by making a great slide around Pierzynski following a strong throw from Chicago right fielder Luis Terrero.

Pence left the game in the seventh with a right hip flexor strain after running out a grounder.

Dan Wheeler pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances, a day after blowing a two-run lead at Colorado.

Craig Biggio's 52nd career leadoff homer moved him 20 hits away from 3,000 and gave Houston an early lead. Chicago's Tadahiti Iguchi tied it with a solo shot in the bottom of the first.

Houston went up 4-2 in the sixth with some sloppy fielding from the White Sox. Terrero, who had just moved from right to center, dropped Morgan Ensberg's liner for an error before Burke bunted for a single when Josh Fields let the ball roll and it hit the third base bag. After a double play, Adam Everett delivered an RBI single to chase John Danks (3-6).

Scott singled and moved up on a wild pitch in the seventh, scoring on Mark Loretta's RBI single for a 5-2 cushion.

Notes:@ White Sox CF Jerry Owens left the game after five innings with a strained right hamstring. ... Including the 2005 World Series, the teams are meeting at U.S. Cellular Field for a third straight season. The White Sox won two of three in an interleague meeting a year ago.

[Associated Press]