NATIONAL LEAGUE Astros continue reversal by completing sweep of Bucs

Houston's winning streak is at seven after a 4-2 victory.
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Astros have rebounded in a big way after dropping three straight homes games to Atlanta.
The Astros ran their winning streak to seven games Thursday, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 to complete a four-game sweep.
"We did a 180 in a hurry," Geoff Blum said. "I think maybe that Atlanta series was a slap in the face for us and got us going."
In the seven-game streak, Houston has gone 85-of-267, a .314 clip that has lifted the team batting average from ninth in the National League at .257 to fourth at .271.
"We're getting hits the whole way through our lineup," said Blum, who entered the series batting .273 and has gone 7-for-13 since to raise his average to .304. "Even the guys coming off the bench are hitting.
"We are really playing well right now. I just hope we can put that in the airplane and take it with us on this road trip."
Six straight losses
The Pirates, who have lost six in a row, were amazed at not only how well the Astros are playing, but how much good fortune they have had. That included Blum's double in the sixth that hit the first base bag and bounced over first baseman Randall Simon's head.
"When you're in a little funk like we are, there's always one or two things that get the other team in a roll," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "Like today, the ball hits the bag and they had another ball hit the dirt and bounce the other way."
"It seemed like everything they hit found holes today," shortstop Jack Wilson said. "A ball would go by me. Then I'd move a few steps and the next ball would go to the spot I just moved from. That's what teams do when they get hot. They find holes in your defense."
It also was the third straight game Pittsburgh had an early lead and lost it. This time the Pirates were up 2-0 after the first inning. Even more frustrating for McClendon was that his team left nine on base one day after leaving 10 men on.
"We had an opportunity to open it up once again," he said. "This is beginning to sound like a broken record. But you try to keep perspective on things. This is only the 34th game and we have a long way to go."
The only problem for Houston now is that the starting pitching has not been going more than five innings most games, as Redding did Thursday. That means the bullpen is getting considerable work.
"We'll have to turn our starting pitchers loose a little," reliever Billy Wagner said. "They have battled and kept us in the games, but we're using a lot of relief pitchers and that's starting to wear the bullpen down a little.
"But the starters will be all right. They just need to relax and get a few innings under their belts."