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McCutchen leads Pirates past Astros

Sep 5, 2012 - 4:45 AM Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Andrew McCutchen drove in three runs during a four-hit night and Wandy Rodriguez earned a victory against his former team, as the Pittsburgh Pirates dumped the Houston Astros, 6-2, to snap a four-game losing streak.

Rodriguez (10-13), acquired from the Astros for three minor leaguers in July, scattered four hits and one walk while striking out seven over seven shutout innings.

"It's very special for me because I played for the Astros for a long time," said Rodriguez, who spent the first seven-plus years of his career in Houston.

Brock Holt, in his fourth career game, went 4-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot for the Pirates, who lost the opener of this three-game series, 5-1, on Monday.

Pittsburgh is 2 1/2 games back of a wild card spot.

Jordan Lyles (3-11) surrendered five runs -- four earned -- on seven hits and one walk over 4 2/3 innings to take the loss, Houston's eighth in its last 10 games.

Brett Wallace and Chris Snyder each drove in a run off Pittsburgh's bullpen in the eighth inning, but by then the Astros trailed, 6-0.

McCutchen pulled one down the third-base line in the first inning, and the ricochet off the stands in foul territory allowed Travis Snider to score from first.

Run-scoring singles by McCutchen and Garrett Jones in the third made it 3-0, and the Pirates tacked on three more in the fifth -- the first coming on another RBI single by McCutchen.

The other two runs came around to score when Tyler Greene missed a routine pop-up in the infield, and the hosts rolled from there.

"They have a nice team over there. They have a couple of veterans with some young kids mixed in," Astros interim manager Tony DeFrancesco said of the Pirates.

Game Notes

Rain delayed the start of the game one hour, 15 minutes ... The Pirates improved to 41-27 at home this year, clinching their second-ever winning season at PNC Park (2006) ... Snider exited the game after scoring in the first inning with discomfort in his right hamstring ... McCutchen has six four-hit games this season ... Rodriguez threw 61 of his 89 pitches for strikes.