Reds 3 - 5 Astros
Final
  for this game

Astros top Reds to halt eight-game slide

Jun 4, 2012 - 1:29 AM

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Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Justin Maxwell hit a pinch-hit two-run homer while Jason Castro and Marwin Gonzalez each had two hits and a RBI to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of a three- game set at Minute Maid Park.

Jordan Schafer also drove in a run for the Astros, who halted an eight-game skid.

Jordan Lyles (1-1) gave up two runs on five hits and struck out three over seven frames to earn the win.

"(Lyles) was absolutely outstanding, from jump street," Houston manager Brad Mills said. "Yesterday we were lamenting about how many first-inning runs we were giving up. He came right out and shut them down and started making pitches from jump street, and it was necessary."

Brett Myers tossed a perfect ninth to pick up his 13th save of the season.

Zack Cozart hit a two-run homer and Joey Votto drove in a run for the Reds, who completed a six-game road trip with a 3-3 record.

Bronson Arroyo (2-4) was pegged with the loss after giving up five runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings.

Houston took a 1-0 lead in the second. Chris Johnson walked, moved to third on a Brett Wallace single and scored on a Castro sacrifice fly.

But the Reds answered back in the third and took a 2-1 lead when Arroyo singled before Cozart crushed one over the fence in left-center.

Houston added a pair of runs in both the fifth and seventh to go ahead 5-2.

In the fifth, Wallace and Castro hit back-to-back singles before Gonzalez followed with a single of his own to score Wallace. A sacrifice-bunt moved Castro to third before he scored on Schafer's sacrifice-fly.

In the seventh, Gonzalez singled before Maxwell's pinch-hit homer to left put Houston ahead 5-2.

"The bottom of our order really came through with some quality at bats," Mills said. "(Johnson) had the one knock, that double, but his walk was big. Castro had a couple knocks and a nice sac-fly. (Gonzalez) had a couple hits and (Wallace) had a couple hits. The whole bottom of the order swung the bat well."

Cincinnati added one in the eighth to make it 5-3. Todd Frazier doubled before moving to third on Cozart's infield single. Votto then clobbered a towering sacrifice-fly to the warning track that easily plated Frazier.

"It was a battle, man," Arroyo said. "They run a bunch a guys out there I didn't know a lot about, and they probably didn't know a lot about me. They hit some good pitches, I threw some bad pitches and it just winded up being too many runs to overcome."

Game Notes

Houston improved to 4-5 in two-run games...The Astros are 18-11 when they score four or more runs...Prior to the game, Houston placed first baseman Carlos Lee on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring and recalled Wallace from Triple-A Oklahoma City...Votto extended his hitting streak to 10 games...Arroyo lost for the first time in his last 10 starts against Houston. He is 8-1 over that span.






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