NATIONAL LEAGUE Pirates can't solve Miller

Houston completed a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh.
HOUSTON (AP) -- Wade Miller is feeling better than he did all last year, and showed it again Thursday afternoon.
Miller shut out Pittsburgh for 71/3 innings and the Houston Astros completed a three-game sweep with a 5-2 victory over the Pirates.
Miller (4-2), who struggled to a 14-13 record last season, gave up six hits in his longest outing of the year. He walked none, struck out seven and retired 15 of his first 16 batters, fanning the side in the fifth.
"I feel a lot better this year than I did last year," Miller said. "I just feel better control-wise. I didn't really have good command any of the time last year.
"Now I have good command and that's big for me. This was my best outing of the year."
Both sides impressed
It impressed the Astros.
"Miller pitched a strong game," manager Jimy Williams said. "He threw strikes. His stuff is good. That's the main thing and he's not backing off."
The Pirates were impressed with all three starting pitchers they faced in Houston, including Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens.
"We knew it was going to be tough coming in," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "They had three of their top pitchers going and they pitched well. They shut us down and as a result they swept us.
"[Miller] threw strikes. He was in and out. He found the strike zone and he made some big pitches when he had to with the bases loaded."
Still, Tike Redman, who was 2-for-4 with an RBI, wasn't overwhelmed.
"[Miller] wasn't really sharp today like he normally he is," Redman said. "But he got the outs he needed. So he got the job done. We hit the ball hard, but we just couldn't find a hole."
Losing record
The Pirates have won only one of their last 14 games at Houston and are 6-28 since the ball park opened in 2000. McClendon thinks that's no mystery.
"It's talent. It's pretty simple," McClendon said. "Pettitte, Clemens, [Craig] Biggio, [Jeff] Bagwell, [Richard] Hidalgo. That's just the way it is. They have better talent than we have. We have to scratch and claw and when they're performing up to their capabilities and they're pitching the way they can pitch, particularly in this series, they should beat us and they did."
The Astros blanked Pittsburgh until Chris Stynes hit an RBI double in the ninth off Brandon Backe. Octavio Dotel relieved and gave up a run-scoring single to Redman before ending it.
Kris Benson (3-2) fell to 0-4 lifetime at Minute Maid Park. He gave up five runs on eight hits and five walks in 52/3 innings.