The Houston Astros had as much difficulty getting a hit against Hiroki Kuroda as the Los Angeles Dodgers' usually reliable bullpen did in getting outs. Kuroda took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before the Astros broke through for seven hits and six runs in the eighth inning and pulled out an 8-5 victory Sunday.

Chris Sampson was struggling badly with the Houston Astros, so pitching coach Dewey Robinson corrected a flaw in his delivery. Bench coach Jackie Moore also reminded the right-hander of what got him to the majors. The advice worked wonders. Sampson pitched three-hit ball over seven innings in a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night, and was hopeful that this kind of outing could...

The Houston Astros needed someone to make a spot start for the injured Wandy Rodriguez. Lucky for them, they just happened to have former starter Brian Moehler in their bullpen. Manager Cecil Cooper said before the game that he would be "tickled" to get five innings out of the 36-year-old right-hander, and that's just what he got.

Two Washington Nationals players who don't get much playing time made the most of their opportunities. Willie Harris and Rob Mackowiak homered to help the Nationals beat Houston 8-3 Thursday night and end the Astros' five-game winning streak. They were two of four reserves in the lineup as manager Manny Acta rested some of his starters.

Kaz Matsui has dramatically increased Houston's team speed. On Wednesday night, he showed the Astros just how valuable his quickness can be. Matsui stole second and raced to third on a wild pitch before scoring the winning run on a single by Carlos Lee in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Astros to a 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals.

Pinch-hitter Greg Norton broke a seventh-inning tie with a bases-loaded single and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight win. With the game tied 2-2, Padres starter Randy Wolf was lifted after loading the bases in the seventh on Brian McCann's double, Matt Diaz's single and Mark Kotsay's walk.

Lance Berkman, Miguel Tejada and Carlos Lee have suddenly made the Houston Astros a tough team to beat. Lee hit the go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning and Berkman had a career-high five hits to lead the Astros to a 6-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night, Houston's fourth straight victory.

Houston Astros manager Cecil Cooper was completely optimistic when Hunter Pence, 0-for-5 to that point, went to the plate in the bottom of the 12th with the game tied at 6. "I said to (bench coach) Jackie Moore, you know Hunter's 0-for-5 here. He's not getting out a sixth time," Cooper said. Pence proved his manager right with a two-run homer to lead the Houston Astros to an 8-6 win over the...

Back-to-back nights with back-to-back home runs helped the Houston Astros to their second straight win. Pitcher Brandon Backe and Michael Bourn hit consecutive home runs in a five-run fifth inning and the Astros beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 Saturday night. It was the first time since 2001 the Astros have had two straight nights with consecutive home runs after hitting three straight homers in the...

When Miguel Tejada met 8-year-old Jacob Scott on Friday, he was so touched by the little boy with muscular dystrophy he promised him a home run. Tejada fulfilled his vow to the youngster by hitting the first of three straight Houston home runs in a 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Astros hit five homers in the game.

Micah Owings isn't a good hitter for a pitcher. He's a good hitter, period. Owings proved it again Wednesday with an opposite-field, pinch-hit home run that tied the game in the sixth and helped the Arizona Diamondbacks rally from four runs down to beat the Houston Astros 8-7. "I've been blessed to be able to swing it," Owings said, "so every time I get in the box I do my best to help this team."...

The Atlanta Braves simply cannot win a one-run game. Felipe Lopez's bases-loaded hit to left with no outs in the 12th lifted the Washington Nationals to a 3-2 victory over the Braves on Wednesday, dropping Atlanta to 0-9 in games decided by the slimmest possible margin. The Braves are the first team since the 2000 Houston Astros to lose their first nine one-run games.

The Houston Astros got six runs in a hurry, just in time before Arizona's young Max Scherzer made a perfect major league pitching debut. Geoff Blum doubled in three runs and the Astros handed the Diamondbacks only their third home loss in 13 games his season, 6-4 on Tuesday night. The hard-throwing Scherzer, Arizona's 2006 first-round draft pick out of the University of Missouri, relieved...

Dan Haren's flu is gone and he's back at full strength. Haren pitched into the eighth inning and hit an RBI double, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks past the Houston Astros 5-3 on Monday night. "That's definitely the best stuff I've had all year," he said. Acquired from Oakland in a big trade during the offseason, Haren (4-1) scattered five hits over a season-high 7 2-3 innings.