Astros' Pettitte deal Pirates another loss

Willie Taveras extended his hitting streak to 29 games.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Andy Pettitte made another effective start against Pittsburgh and the Houston Astros won consecutive games for the first time in more than two weeks, beating the Pirates 7-4 Saturday night.
Willy Taveras extended his Astros-record hitting streak to 29 games when he doubled on Zach Duke's third pitch of the game. Taveras has gotten a hit in his first at-bat in 13 of the 29 games.
Lance Berkman, who homered in Houston's 5-1 victory Friday night, hit a two-run double in the seventh inning.
Before that, Pittsburgh's sloppy defensive play -- on a night the Pirates also made some excellent plays in the field -- helped the Astros take a 4-3 lead.
The Astros hadn't won successive games since winning four in a row from Aug. 8-11, a span that included a three-game sweep of the Pirates in Houston. The defending NL champion Astros are 9-3 against Pittsburgh this season.
Pettitte dominates Bucs
Pettitte (12-13) improved to 6-1 against the Pirates in seven career starts. He fell behind 3-2 in the second on Jose Castillo's two-run single and Duke's wrong-way RBI single to left after the pitcher twice failed to put down a sacrifice bunt.
Duke's wildness helped put Houston back into the lead in the fourth. Duke (8-12), ending a six-game winning streak at home, got the first two batters of the inning before Adam Everett doubled.
After Brad Ausmus was intentionally walked so Duke could pitch to Pettitte, the pitcher singled into right field and Ausmus then scored on Duke's wild pitch.
Everett and Craig Biggio had singled and scored in the second when first baseman Joe Randa threw wildly on a routine grounder that looked to be the third out of the inning. Randa made only his ninth career start at first.
HOUSTONPITTSBURGH
abrhbiabrhbi
Tveras cf5110Duffy cf4000
Burke lf4120Randa 1b4010
Brkmn 1b5112FSnchz ss4000
Lane rf4010Bay lf4000
Ensbrg 3b5011Nady rf3110
Biggio 2b4110Palino c4220
Brkski p0000JBtsta 3b4120
Lidge p0000Castillo 2b4022
AEvrtt ss3220Duke p2011
Asmus c2100Capps p0000
Pettitte p2021Doumit ph0001
Scott lf1000Marte p0000
Burnitz ph1000
Totals357114Totals34494
Houston020200300--7
Pittsburgh030000100--4
E--Randa (4). DP--Houston 1. LOB--Houston 7, Pittsburgh 5. 2B--Taveras (15), Berkman (21), Nady (21). 3B--AEverett (5). SB--Berkman (3). CS--Taveras (8). S--Burke, Ausmus, Pettitte. SF--Doumit.
IPHRERBBSO
Houston
Pettitte W,12-13674413
Borkowski220001
Lidge S,27100003
Pittsburgh
Duke L,8-126 2-3107524
Capps1-300000
Marte210011
Pettitte pitched to 2 batters in the 7th. WP--Duke 2. Umpires--Home, Bruce Dreckman; First, Larry Poncino; Second, Ed Hickox; Third, Gary Darling. T--2:46. A--37,190.
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