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Astros sink Giants for seventh win in row

Aug 14, 2008 - 4:18 AM By Ted Dunnam PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- All the Houston Astros had to do Wednesday night was just relax in the batter's box and let the San Francisco Giants' pitching staff do their work for them.

Taking advantage of four walks and a major league record-tying three hit batsmen in the sixth inning, the Astros won their seventh straight game with a 6-2 victory over the Giants.

None of Houston's six runs in the inning scored on a hit. Two scored on sacrifice flies, two on walks and two on hit batsmen.

Astros manager Cecil Cooper was amazed at what unfolded.

"It was opportunistic," Cooper said. "I've never seen anything like it, but I'll take it. That's the sign of a good team - taking advantage of your opportunities."

Astros starter Randy Wolf (8-10) pitched seven effective innings as Houston won for the 11th time in 13 games. The lefthander allowed six hits, two earned runs, walked two and struck out three.

"That was a strange (sixth) inning," Wolf said. "It was definitely wild, but we'll take it. (Giants starter Barry) Zito was doing really well. Unfortunately for him at the end, things went bad and we just kind of got in the way of some balls."

The Astros managed just two hits - singles by Ty Wigginton and Miguel Tejada -- in the sixth that helped load the bases for the first time off Zito (6-15).

Zito then walked Lance Berkman to tie the game at 1-1. Geoff Blum followed with a sacrifice fly to left for a 2-1 lead and, after Hunter Pence intentionally was walked, Reggie Abercrombie delivered a sacrifice fly to center to make it 3-1.

Zito then plunked Astros catcher Humberto Quintero to re-load the bases, and Wolf coaxed a walk of the struggling lefthander to stretch Houston's lead to 4-1.

"I didn't want to give in to Berkman," Zito said. "I wasn't concerned with that walk there. I'm most upset with the walk to (Mark) Loretta and hitting Quintero.

"Those were the difference-makers. It's my job to come back and attack Loretta. You can't do anything about bloop hits and sacrifice flies. It's on me for walking Loretta."

Billy Sadler replaced Zito and promptly hit Wigginton and Mark Loretta in consecutive at-bats to boost the lead to 6-1.

"I was trying to go inside with a fastball to Wigginton to set up my next pitch," Sadler said. "It just kind of got away from me. Then the curveball on Loretta, I just didn't get on top of it. You just have to go right at them, and I just made two mistakes."

The Giants scored the game's first run after Randy Winn led off the sixth inning with a double and eventually scored on Bengie Molina's double.

Winn began the seventh with another double and scored on rookie Ryan Rohlinger's first major league hit, a double to right, to pull the Giants within 6-2.

"I loved it," Wigginton said. "It didn't matter that we didn't get a lot of hits. We got it done. We found a way and that's what's important."