Recap: Houston vs. Pittsburgh
Sports Network | September 11, 2008
Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Roy Oswalt threw his second consecutive shutout to run his scoreless innings streak to a club-record 32 1/3 frames, as the Houston Astros crushed Pittsburgh, 6-0, to complete a four-game sweep of the Pirates.
Oswalt (15-9) gave up just three hits and fanned four batters, while facing the minimum of 27 hitters, to put the Astros a season-high 13 games over .500. The righty also went 1-for-3 at the plate with two RBI.
Houston has won six straight and 14 of its last 15 games overall, and moved into a tie with the Phillies at three games behind the Brewers in the NL wild card race. Philadelphia beat Milwaukee, 6-3, on Thursday.
Hunter Pence ran his hitting streak to 13 games in the win, while Miguel Tejada went 1-for-4 with an RBI to increase his hitting streak to 12 games.
Zach Duke (5-14) took the loss after giving up six runs -- two earned -- on six hits in 4 2/3 innings of work.
Doug Mientkiewicz had one of the three hits for the Pirates, who have dropped six straight games. Mientkiewicz also committed a costly fielding error that led to Houston's five-run fifth inning.
Houston took a 1-0 lead in the third frame. Reggie Abercrombie dropped down a bunt to leadoff the frame and, as Duke fielded and threw the ball wide of Adam LaRoche at first, moved to third. Two batters later, Oswalt's sac bunt brought the runner home.
The Astros tacked on more runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach. Pence led off with a single and Jose Castillo hit a grounder that looked like a sure double play, though Mientkiewicz threw the ball into the outfield, making it first and third.
Abercrombie kept it going with an RBI single and Brad Ausmus logged a single to load the bases. Oswalt helped his own cause with an RBI single and Darin Erstad grounded out to plate a run. Mark Loretta then offered a sac fly to center and Tejada clubbed an RBI double to left, which made it 6-0.
Friday and Saturday's games in this weekend's Cubs/Astros series have been postponed due to Hurricane Ike. No makeup date has been announced...Oswalt recorded 20 straight outs in the game, en route to his fourth straight win and eighth in his last 10 starts...The Astros are an MLB-best 36-16 since the All- Star break...The Pirates finished their 10-game road trip at 3-7.
