HOUSTON (AP) -Roy Oswalt became the National League's first 17-game winner and the Houston Astros extended their winning streak to 11 games with a 9-7 victory against the Cincinnati Reds yesterday night.
Oswalt (17-9) gave up four runs on six hits in 7 2-3 innings, improving to 9-1 in his last 11 starts and 11-0 in 15 career games against the Reds. He struck out nine and walked three.
Mike Lamb homered and drove in four runs and Carlos Beltran hit a two-run shot for the Astros, who are on the second-longest winning streak in club history. The team record is 12 straight from Sept. 3-14, 1999.
The Astros have won 19 of their last 22 in improving to 31-19 since the All-Star break. They entered the night just 1 1/2 games behind Chicago in the NL wild-card race.
Beltran left in the seventh inning after being hit by a pitch from Aaron Myette. The team said he bruised his right elbow and is day to day.
Sean Casey homered twice and Jason LaRue added a three-run shot for the Reds, who have lost two in a row and nine of 11.
Paul Wilson (9-6) lost his third straight decision, allowing seven runs and seven hits over five innings. He's winless since July 8, when he beat Milwaukee.
With the game tied at 2 in the third, Lance Berkman hit a two-out double and scored on Kent's RBI double to left. Lamb followed with a two-run homer -his 11th -on an 0-1 pitch from Wilson.
Lamb is 8-for-13 with 10 RBIs in his last three games.
Houston moved ahead 7-2 in the fifth. Beltran hit a leadoff triple, and Jeff Bagwell and Berkman each walked to load the bases. One out later, Lamb hit a sacrifice fly to score Beltran. After Jose Vizcaino intentionally was walked, Wilson threw a wild pitch that allowed Bagwell to score.
The Astros added two runs in the sixth on Beltran's 38th homer of the season -his 23rd with Houston.
LaRue hit a three-run home run in the eighth, and Casey hit a two-run homer in the ninth to make it 9-7.
Houston took a 2-0 lead during the second inning when Kent led off with a walk, moved to second on Lamb's single and scored on a single by Raul Chavez. Biggio then drove in Lamb with a single.
Cincinnati tied it at two in the third on Casey's two-run bomb off Oswalt.
News and notes
Houston has scored six or more runs in a club-record 11 consecutive games. ... Houston has scored 104 runs and has 135 hits during its last 11 games. ... Adam Dunn has the highest RBI total, 87, of any player in the major leagues this season without a sacrifice fly ... LaRue set a Reds club record when he was hit by a pitch for the 21st time this season. He is second in the NL in that category behind Pittsburgh's Craig Wilson.
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