Oswalt dominates Reds again in Houston's 7-4 win

[August 08, 2008]  CINCINNATI (AP) -- Hunter Pence hit a three-run homer, Roy Oswalt once again shut down Cincinnati and the Houston Astros beat the reeling Reds 7-4 on Thursday night.

Carlos Lee went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs and Miguel Tejada and Lance Berkman also had three hits each, helping Oswalt improve to 21-1 in his career against the Reds.

Oswalt (9-8), who has won each of his last six starts against Cincinnati, pitched six shutout innings before giving up a run in the seventh -- his last inning. He allowed nine hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

The Reds have lost three straight and six of seven.

Houston took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tejada doubled with one out and scored on Lee's two-out single to left.

Kaz Matsui led off the third with another single and, after moving up on Berkman's single, scored on Lee's grounder through the hole into left field. Pence followed by driving Josh Fogg's 2-0 pitch into the seats in left-center for his 15th homer of the season.

The Astros made it 6-0 in the fifth when Berkman hit a leadoff double and Lee walked, ending Fogg's night. Pence pushed Berkman to third with a fielder's choice grounder, and Ty Wigginton hit a sacrifice fly that center fielder Corey Patterson appeared to save from going over the fence with a leaping catch.

Fogg (2-4) allowed eight hits and six runs with in four innings.

The Reds loaded the bases against Oswalt with two outs in the first, but Oswalt struck out Edwin Encarnacion on three pitches -- a foul tip and two called strikes.

The Reds broke up Oswalt's shutout in the seventh on pinch-hitter Jolbert Cabrera's two-out walk and singles by Jeff Keppinger and Joey Votto. Encarnacion added his 21st homer, a two-run shot to left-center off left-handed reliever Wesley Wright in the eighth.

Tejada scored on Wigginton's bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth. Brandon Phillips tripled with two outs and scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning.

Notes: Cincinnati RF Jay Bruce led off the sixth with a double to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, one short of the season-high streak the rookie put together July 9-23. ... Cincinnati CF Jerry Hairston Jr., who has one pinch-hit appearance since Friday after aggravating a hamstring injury that left him on the disabled list for the second half of July, ran the bases at full speed before Thursday's game. "If it was up to me, I'd be in there, but once I'm back, I want to be back for the duration," Hairston said. ... Houston CF Michael Bourn started after missing the last 10 starts with a sprained right ankle.

[Associated Press]

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