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Oswalt dominates Reds again as Astros win

Aug 28, 2008 - 3:44 AM HOUSTON (Ticker) -- It has been a down year for Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt, but he still owns the Cincinnati Reds.

Oswalt continued his mastery of the Reds as the Astros posted a 4-1 victory on Wednesday.

Oswalt (12-9) beat Cincinnati for the seventh straight time, allowing one run and five hits in seven innings. The hard-throwing righthander struck out three and walked two while throwing 65 of 90 pitches for strikes.

Oswalt has battled hip injuries this season, his worst in three years. Yet he still cannot lose to the Reds as he improved his lifetime mark against them to 22-1 with a 2.50 ERA in 24 starts and one relief appearance.

One would believe the Reds eventually will break out against Oswalt, but he is not concerned.

"I don't go into the game thinking they are due for a big game against me," Oswalt said. "I don't think about the record. Just trying to remember how I got guys out before, stick to the game plan, and when they adjust, try to do something else."

Oswalt has won four of his last five starts overall.

"Guaranteed win. He's been just outstanding in his last few outings," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "Tonight is no different than the last five or six. He was really, really good. He was in the zone and had good fastballs.

LaTroy Hawkins pitched a scoreless eighth and Jose Valverde struck out the side in the ninth for his 34th save in 40 chances.

"(Oswalt) started to tire a little in the sixth and seventh, so that's why we went to our two big boys to finish it off," Cooper said. "Roy and two big swings is all we needed tonight."

Hunter Pence's two-run homer in the fourth made it 2-1, giving Oswalt all the support he needed. Ty Wigginton added a two-run blast in the seventh to provide the final margin.

Rookie Joey Votto drove in the lone run for Cincinnati, which has been held to two runs or less in five of its last eight games.

Houston trailed, 1-0, until the fourth. Miguel Tejada and Lance Berkman led off the inning with back-to-back singles and, after Tejada was thrown out trying to steal third, Pence drilled an 0-1 offering from Josh Fogg (2-7) over the left field wall for his 19th homer of the season.

Wigginton added some insurance for the Astros in the seventh with a two-run homer of his own. With two outs, Darin Erstad singled before Wigginton launched a 1-0 offering from Gary Majewski deep to left for his 17th shot.

"Anytime you can give a pitcher more than one run to work with, it gives them a chance to go up there and pump the zone," Wigginton said. "Basically, let them get themselves out. He left a fastball up in the zone, and I was able to get to it."

Fogg, who has lost five straight decisions, allowed two runs and six hits in six innings with two strikeouts and one walk. He was staked to a 1-0 lead in the first, when Jeff Keppinger hit a one-out infield single and went to third on Brandon Phillips' double before scoring on a groundout by Votto.

"I threw the ball well, but I made a mistake to Pence," Fogg said. "That's the second time in a row that he has got me. He got me in Cincinnati, too."

"Fogg threw one bad pitch to Pence," Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. "He threw the ball well, but there was nothing wrong with Oswalt."