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Berkman sparks eight-run seventh as Astros pound Giants

Aug 13, 2008 - 5:45 AM By Andrew Ferraro PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- The Houston Astros needed one big inning to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games.

Lance Berkman keyed an eight-run seventh inning to lead the suddenly surging Astros to a 12-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park.

For the first time since June 10, Houston (60-59) is over .500. The team has won 10 of its last 12 games and 14 of 18 overall.

Berkman made the most of his only hit of the night - a 398-foot grand slam off the facade in left - to give Roy Oswalt (10-8) all the support he would need on a night where Giants' starter Tim Lincecum had to leave the game after being hit in the right leg in the fifth inning.

With the Giants leading, 2-1, Brad Ausmus ripped a pitch off Lincecum's right leg. While Ausmus was retired on the play when the ball rolled to first baseman John Bowker, the righthander fell to the ground.

After manager Bruce Bochy and the Giants training staff attended to their All-Star righthander, Lincecum was able to leave the field under his own power despite a slight limp. He was taken to a local hospital for X-rays.

"The X-rays were negative," Bochy said. "He's got a bruised right knee. It caught him in a good spot. It paralyzed him for a little bit, that's why he had to come out of the game. But he's walking pretty good now. That's good news. That's the only good news we got tonight."

Lincecum allowed one run on one hit while walking two and striking out seven before departing, surpassing Milwaukee's CC Sabathia for the major league lead in strikeouts with 182.

Oswalt (10-8) permitted 10 hits in seven innings, but limited the damage to one run apiece in the second, fourth and fifth innings.

"I really did not have any kind of breaking pitch today," Oswalt said. "I was able to battle with the fastball today. I moved it around little bit and tried to take the speeds off as much as I could. I got some key outs when I needed to and I thought I gave up one too many runs."

"I thought Roy threw the ball pretty well tonight," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "Maybe not his best stuff, but he made the pitches he needed to make when he was in trouble and really kept them at bay."

Hunter Pence had two hits off the bench, scored two runs and added his 17th homer in the eighth while Darin Erstad chipped in two hits, scored two more runs and drove in a pair.

The Astros took the lead for good in the seventh when they sent 11 batters to the plate and scored eight runs off four Giants relievers.

Erstad hit a soft single to left off reliever Jack Taschner to score Ausmus and Pence, who hit a pinch-hit single off Tyler Walker (4-7). After Miguel Tejada singled to right, Berkman hit his fourth grand slam - the fifth different Astro to hit a grand slam this season - to give the Astros an 8-3 lead.

"It certainly didn't feel like a laugher," Berkman said. "It was a weird game. It started out like a pitchers' duel and ended up like a blowout. Our hitting was nice to see and, if we can keep this going that would be great."

After Geoff Blum doubled off the wall in left, Ty Wigginton followed with his 13th homer over the wall in right to stake Houston to a 10-3 advantage.

"What a seventh inning," Cooper said. "That was a great seventh inning."

Pence added a solo blast and Tejada an RBI double in the eighth for the final Astros' runs.

The Giants, who have baseball's second-worst offense, were held under five runs for the 16th time in 18 contests.

"We didn't make a play all night," Bochy said. "We still have to figure out a way to have a big inning. We're getting those opportunities. We had a tough time putting the game away."