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Bourn, Rodriguez help Astros complete sweep

Aug 10, 2008 - 9:17 PM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Michael Bourn belted a three-homer and Wandy Rodriguez worked 6 2/3 effective innings as the Houston Astros completed a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with a 13-4 rout on Sunday.

After placing slugger Carlos Lee on the disabled list earlier Sunday, the Astros started quickly, scoring five times in the first inning. Bourn's two-out blast, his fifth of the season, highlighted the frame.

Lance Berkman and Geoff Blum also homered for Houston, which scored 32 runs in the series.

Rodriguez (6-5), who retired his first 14 batters, gave two runs and five hits. The lefthander walked one and struck out seven. He had allowed at least six runs in each of his last two starts.

"I thought Wandy was real sharp today," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "He pitched the way he needed to pitch, especially after the last couple of outings, this was good for him."

Activated from the DL before the game, Reds starter Aaron Harang (3-12) was ripped for eight runs and nine hits in four innings.

"It's definitely not the way I wanted things to go," Harang said. "You kind of have to knock this one up in the books, and worry about here forward. It's been a bad, bad, bad home series for us all. You got some sole-searching to do, and figure things out."

Harang ran into immediate trouble in the first, giving up four hits and a walk in the frame.

Miguel Tejada and Blum had RBI doubles to start the scoring before Bourn hit his first homer since June 25 as Houston grabbed a 5-0 lead.

Rodriguez opened the second with a double and, after Matsui grounded out, Darin Erstad laced an RBI single.

Berkman and Blum hit back-to-back homers to start the second, pushing the advantage to 8-0. It was Berkman's 23rd homer and Blum's 11th blast of the season.

The lead was more than enough for Rodriguez, who cruised until surrendering Edwin Encarnacion's 22nd homer with two outs in the fifth.

Rodriguez also allowed a solo homer to Jolbert Cabrera with one out in the sixth. He left with two outs and the bases loaded in the next inning in favor of LaTroy Hawkins, who got Javier Valentin to line out.

The Astros enjoyed another five-run inning in the eighth. Bourn, Ty Wigginton and Erstad all had run-scoring singles as part of the uprising.

Erstad is one of the players being counted on to help fill the void left by Lee, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a broken left pinky.

"I can't replace Carlos obviously. I just try to set a good example, and guys stepped up," Erstad said.