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Bautista's blast helps Pirates extend Astros' misery

Sep 15, 2007 - 5:01 AM HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Jose Bautista ruined a strong outing from Roy Oswalt.

Bautista's two-run homer highlighted a three-run, eighth-inning rally as the Pittsburgh Pirates posted a 4-3 comeback victory over the Houston Astros on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.

After Freddy Sanchez led off the frame with a base hit, Bautista crushed a 3-1 offering from Chad Qualls (6-5) into the left field seats to give the Pirates a 3-2 edge. It was Bautista's 15th home run this season.

"It was a fastball in and I feel bad," Qualls said. "He sold out on the fastball after I got behind in the count, and he really turned on it."

Ronny Paulino added an RBI single later in the inning to extend Pittsburgh's advantage to 4-2.

"You need some baserunners and you need some big at-bats in a game like this one," Pirates manager Jim Tracy. "We got run-producing at-bats from (Adam) LaRoche, Paulino and a huge at-bat from Jose Bautista."

Oswalt pitched seven strong innings, yielding just one and six hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

After leaving with a 2-1 lead, the 30-year-old righthander was looking to pick up his 15th win for his fourth consecutive season, but Qualls gave up three runs in the decisive eighth.

"Different night, same story," Astros interim manager Cecil Cooper. "This is getting tough to take. Roy pitched really well and I thought (Ty) Wigginton really swung the bat well for us tonight."

Romulo Sanchez (1-0) registered the win after recording the final out of the seventh by striking out Wigginton. It was the rookie righthander's first career win.

Shawn Chacon gave up an RBI single by Josh Anderson in the eighth, but Matt Capps slammed the door in the ninth to notch his 17th save.

Houston (63-83), which owns the National League's worst record, has lost three straight and eight of its last nine.

Lance Berkman blasted a solo home run - his 30th of the season - in the seventh inning to give the Astros a 2-1 lead.

Pittsburgh, which has won four of its last five contests, started the scoring in the third, when LaRoche delivered an RBI single to right.

Pirates starter Ian Snell held the Astros scoreless for five innings but surrendered a run in the sixth as Wigginton scored on second baseman Sanchez's fielding error, tying the game at 1-1.

Snell gave up one run, five hits and five walks with eight strikeouts in six innings.

"It means a lot to me and it means a lot to the team to go out strong," Snell said. "I just want to finish up strong and know they can count on me for next year."