HOUSTON -- Roy Oswalt's winning streak was in doubt
until Craig Biggio provided some late power.
Biggio hit a tie-breaking, three-run homer in the seventh inning
as the Houston Astros won for the seventh time in their last
nine games with a 4-1 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Oswalt (11-7), who is one of five National League players
eligible to win the final spot in the All-Star Game in an online
vote by the fans that ends Wednesday, remained one of the
hottest pitchers in the major leagues with the complete-game
triumph.
The righthander, who improved to 8-0 at Minute Maid Park,
allowed five hits to win his fifth consecutive start. He struck
out six, walked two and threw 104 pitches, 71 for strikes en
route to his third complete game of the season.
"I felt strong the whole game," Oswalt said. "I thought I had a
better fastball than the last time out, and I spotted the ball
well. The team played great defense behind me, too."
With Padres starter Brian Lawrence (5-7) matching Oswalt through
the first six innings, the win appeared in doubt until Biggio
crushed the righthander's first pitch over the left field fence
in the seventh to snap a 1-1 tie.
It was a key hit in more ways than one for Biggio. With his
11th homer of the season, the 39-year-old second baseman notched
his 2,722nd career hit, moving past Lou Gehrig for 51st on the
all-time hit list.
"That's pretty big company, the Iron Horse," Biggio said. "He
and Babe Ruth are maybe the two biggest icons in the sport. And
to pass him with a home run, that seemed only fitting."
Biggio struggled in his three previous plate appearances against
Lawrence, giving no indication that a game-deciding blast was
in store.
"I had three really bad at-bats against (Lawrence). I just
wasn't patient," Biggio said. "He works both sides of the plate
really well, and you have to be patient. I just waited on the
pitch and hit it really well.
"I was just hoping it would go off the wall, and when it went
out, that was a bonus."
The Astros, who were back home after a seven-game road trip,
manufactured a run in the first inning when Willy Taveras hit a
leadoff single, stole second and scored on an RBIs single by
Morgan Ensberg.
San Diego tied the score in the fourth on a run-scoring double
by Geoff Blum.
The Padres had an excellent chance to take the lead in the sixth
after Mark Sweeney hit a leadoff double and moved to third on a
flyout by Ryan Klesko. However, Oswalt picked off Sweeney to
end the threat.
"You can't get picked off there," Padres manager Bruce Bochy
said. "He (Oswalt) sold it well, made a good move and got him."
"That was a momentum-turner right there," Garner said. "Roy and
Morgan (Ensberg) worked on that play in spring training. Roy
has a high leg kick and that move is tailor-made for him. They
both executed it perfectly."
In a low-scoring game, Oswalt realized how pivotal the pickoff
proved to be.
"I told Morgan that if we get one or two of those a year, we may
get a win out of it," Oswalt said. "I noticed that he
(Sweeney) wasn't paying attention to me, and it managed to work
out."
Lawrence, who absorbed his first loss since June 1, allowed four
runs and nine hits in seven innings and struck out five.
"I felt like I made good pitches most of the night," Lawrence
said. "They had guys in scoring position a lot, and I was
battling to keep them on base."
However, Lawrence's one mistake to Biggio proved costly for the
Padres.
"It was a terrible pitch. It was a slider that backed out over
the middle of the plate," Lawrence said. "I had made some good
pitches to him earlier, but (Biggio) is a good bad-pitch hitter,
and you saw what happened."