Clemens gives Astros lead in NL series opener

The 9-3 win over the Braves was his first Game 1 playoff win ever.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Roger Clemens could have been taking his turn in the car pool, doing some yard work, relaxing in front of the television.
And miss this?
No way.
The Rocket is a step closer to getting back to the World Series, and the Houston Astros are along for the ride.
"We're very happy when we see Roger Clemens on the mound," Jeff Bagwell said. "That's the main thing -- Roger Clemens is pitching for us."
Picking up where they left off in the regular season, the Astros routed the Atlanta Braves 9-3 in Game 1 of the NL division playoffs Wednesday.
Never won a series
Houston is 0-for-7 in playoff series, losing three of its last four to the Braves. But there's a sense in the Astros' clubhouse that this could finally be their year.
It starts with Clemens, who retired after pitching for the New York Yankees in last year's World Series. About two months later, he changed his mind, jumping at the chance to play not far from his suburban Houston home.
The 42-year-old pitcher can't do it alone, of course. The Astros have a lethal lineup that showed off its power in Atlanta, hitting four homers and setting a franchise record for runs in a postseason game.
"This team feels real good about itself," Bagwell said. "We came in on a roll."
The Astros carried over their momentum from the regular season, when they won 36 of the last 46 games to claim the wild card.
"We have to win three of the next four games," Marcus Giles said, "but we have done that plenty of times."
Brad Ausmus, Lance Berkman and Carlos Beltran homered off Braves starter Jaret Wright, who didn't make it through the fifth.
Wild early
Clemens showed the effects of a stomach virus that kept him from making his last start of the regular season. He had two wild pitches and walked six -- all in the first four innings and the most he's given up in a game since 1998.
Clemens also had trouble with his footing on the mound, but he displayed plenty of grit in winning a Game 1 start for the first time in his storied career. The Braves stranded nine runners in those first four innings, when the Rocket was his most vulnerable.
He wound up lasting seven innings, throwing 117 pitches, giving up six hits and two earned runs, while striking out seven.
"I had to will my way through that game," he said. "Sometimes, it takes more than talent or more than a 95-mph fastball. You have to will it."
The Astros trailed 1-0 when Ausmus led off the third by homering into the left-field seats, sparking a four-run inning. Bagwell had an RBI double -- the first extra-base hit of his postseason career -- and Berkman hit a two-run shot into the Braves bullpen.
Beltran knocked out Wright in the fifth with another two-run homer.
Squandering chances
The Braves, meanwhile, were squandering all sorts of chances. When Atlanta loaded the bases in the first on Berkman's error and two walks, Clemens limited the damage to Johnny Estrada's sacrifice fly. When the Braves put runners at second and third in the second, Clemens struck out Rafael Furcal, who may have had other things on his mind.
"I thought we had a pretty good game plan," said Chipper Jones, who went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. "We got [Clemens] to throw a lot of pitches early, but we missed opportunities."
HOUSTONATLANTA
abrhbiabrhbi
Biggio lf5110Furcal ss3110
Qualls p0000MGiles 2b5111
Gallo p0000JDrew rf3000
CBeltrn cf3332CJones 3b4000
Lane rf1111JEstda c4011
Bgwell 1b5221Lroche 1b3000
Brkmn rf5122Mrrero ph1000
JKent 2b5011AJones cf3121
Ensbrg 3b4021Thmas lf4020
JVzcno ss4000JSWrht p1000
AEvrtt ss0000Grybsk p0000
Asmus c4111DWise ph1000
Clmens p2000JuCruz p0000
OPlmro lf1000Alfnsca p0000
JuFrco ph1000
Ritsma p0000
Totals399139Totals33373
Houston004030101--9
Atlanta100011000--3
E--Berkman (1). DP--Atlanta 1. LOB--Houston 5, Atlanta 12. 2B--Bagwell (1), JKent (1). 3B--Furcal (1). HR--CBeltran (1), Lane (1), Berkman (1), Ausmus (1), AJones (1). SB--Biggio (1), CBeltran (1), MGiles (1). CS--Ensberg (1). S--JSWright. SF--JEstrada.
IPHRERBBSO
Houston
Clemens W,1-0763267
Qualls100010
Gallo110002
Atlanta
JSWright L,0-14 1-386606
Gryboski2-321101
JuCruz221114
Alfonseca100000
Reitsma111101
HBP--by JuCruz (CBeltran). WP--Clemens 2. Umpires--Home, Tim McClelland; First, Phil Cuzzi; Second, Wally Bell; Third, Fieldin Culbreth; Left, Joe Brinkman; Right, Tony Randazzo. T--3:08. A--41,464.