Recap: Houston vs. Pittsburgh
Sports Network | July 8, 2010
Houston, TX (Sports Network) – Lance Berkman belted two solo home runs to support Roy Oswalt’s complete-game one-hitter in Houston’s 2-0 blanking of Pittsburgh that completed a three-game sweep at Minute Maid Park.
Oswalt (6-10) issued a pair of walks and struck out eight and allowed only a first-inning single by Neil Walker to finish off his first full-distance shutout since he blanked the Pirates on September 11, 2008.
Ross Ohlendorf (1-7) was the hard-luck loser after yielding both runs on seven hits over seven frames while walking one and fanning five for the Pirates, who have dropped four out of five.
Berkman went the other way and lifted a home run into the Crawford Boxes in left field to give the Astros a 1-0 lead and score the 1,000th run of his career.
The veteran first baseman replicated what he did in his first at-bat in his next trip to the plate in the fourth to give the Astros a 2-0 lead and put together the 25th multi-home run game of his career.
Andrew McCutchen was the only Pirates baserunner to reach second base after he walked with one out in the sixth and advanced on a two-out balk.
Pittsburgh’s Ryan Church just missed a home run, as he flied out to Hunter Pence at the wall in right field to end the seventh inning.
Angel Sanchez tripled with one out in the home seventh but didn’t score after Oswalt flied out to shallow centerfield and Garrett Jones made a running catch on a Michael Bourn fly ball to right.
Berkman also helped out defensively, as he made a diving catch on a Jose Tabata line drive leading off in the ninth. Oswalt then struck out Walker and Jones to end the game and a career-high six-game home losing streak.
Berkman has hit a long ball in four consecutive games for the first time since July 29-August 2, 2007…Craig Biggio (1,844) and Jeff Bagwell (1,517) are the other Astros to have crossed the 1,000 run threshold…Oswalt earned his 143rd career victory, one shy of Joe Niekro’s team record…His last win at home was over the Pirates on April 23…Oswalt is 15-7 in his career against the Buccos, including a 9-3 mark in 15 home starts…Astros second baseman Jeff Keppinger was 0-for-4 and lost a nine-game hit streak. Houston is 22-6 against the Pirates since September 8, 2008 and 61-23 against them at Minute Maid Park…Ohlendorf is 0-6 in eight games, including six starts, against the Astros…Pittsburgh pitching has allowed 11 home runs in the last five games.