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Sosa's 601st homer helps lift Rangers over Astros

Jun 23, 2007 - 5:04 AM ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- Sammy Sosa wasted little time getting to 601 and gave the Texas Rangers a lift in the battle for the Silver Boot.

Sosa homered and drove in four runs as part of an eight-run fifth inning and Kevin Millwood pitched six solid frames as the Rangers recorded an 11-3 victory over the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game series Friday.

Two nights after hitting his 600th career home run in Wednesday's 7-3 triumph over the Chicago Cubs, Sosa blasted a two-run homer off Astros starter Woody Williams (3-10) to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning.

"I'm happy for him that he got 600 home runs," Houston manager Phil Garner said. "I don't mind him getting more home runs, I just wish he'd do it when we leave town."

After Michael Young led off the inning with an infield single, Sosa took Williams' 3-1 offering over the right field wall for his 13th home run of the season. It came just two at-bats after No. 600.

The 39-year-old Sosa added a two-run single later in the inning to cap the eight-run rally.

"Sosa just seems to get those RBI and the most important ones he got tonight were the two he got in the fifth on that single to right," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He smells RBI and if runners are out there, he'll pick them up."

Just like Frank Catalanotto did on Sosa's 600th career home run, Marlon Byrd followed Sosa's 601st with a solo home run.

Brad Wilkerson extended the Rangers' advantage to 7-3 with a two-run homer down the right field line in the fifth. A double by Ramon Vazquez, an infield single by Kenny Lofton and back-to-back walks to Ian Kinsler and Michael Young set the table for Sosa, who promptly lined a single to right to open a 10-3 lead.

"Sammy's a better hitter now than he's ever been," Williams said. "I don't know if he's just hot or what, but I've never seen him with this kind of approach."

Young, who had two singles and scored a run, has the highest batting average in interleague history at .349.

Millwood (4-6) allowed three runs and nine hits with two strikeouts to pick up his second straight win after not recording one since April 13.

"I felt better tonight but definitely don't think I'm where I need to be," Millwood said. "I didn't feel like I had a good breaking ball tonight but you've got to be able to make some pitches when you really need them and I felt like I was able to do that a litle more tonight. The way our guys are swinging, the bat is a very comforting feeling."

Williams was chased after four-plus innings, giving up five runs and seven hits with four walks.

"They got my pitch count up early. This was a game I could have won and we should have won. You can't look at the score right now and visualize that, though. It's just a shame that it turned out the way that it did," Williams said.

The Astros scored twice in the fifth on an RBI double by Lance Berkman and rookie Hunter Pence's RBI single which put Houston up, 3-2.

"You've got to give Millwood credit in the fifth because a lot more damage could have been done in that inning," Wilkerson said. "To give up a lead the way we did and then to come back with our big inning really give us confidence."

Berkman gave the Astros an early 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the first inning. It was Berkman's ninth homer of the season.