Wandy Rodriguez struck out seven in seven innings and drove in two runs with a double to lead the Houston Astros to a 7-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.
Rodriguez allowed seven hits without a walk to win his fifth straight home decision. The 30-year-old left-hander came in with a 1.73 ERA at Minute Maid Park this season.
Cliff Lee struggled for the second straight start after his eight-game winning streak ended in Atlanta on Saturday. The left-handed ace lasted only three innings in this one, giving up six runs and nine hits.
Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence homered for the Astros, who won for the third time in 11 games.
Pence, Jeff Keppinger and Humberto Quintero singled off Lee with no outs in the second to load the bases for Rodriguez, an .098 hitter. Rodriguez fought Lee to a full count, then fouled off four straight pitches before lining a two-run double into the right-field corner.
One out later, Kazuo Matsui doubled to left to make it 4-0. Lee, acquired from Cleveland on July 29, gave up more than three runs for just the sixth time in 29 starts in 2009. He allowed six runs and 10 hits in the loss to the Braves last weekend.
Miguel Tejada led off the Houston half of the third with a bloop single to left and Pence followed with a home run to right, his 21st of the season. Lee has given up four homers in his last two outings after not allowing any in his previous six.
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Jamie Moyer started the fourth inning for the Phillies. It was Lee's shortest outing since he gave up seven runs and 11 hits in three innings against the Chicago White Sox on June 30.
Carlos Lee led off the Houston fifth with a homer to left, his 23rd of the season.
Rodriguez struck out a batter in each of the first six innings. The Phillies loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but Rodriguez got Jimmy Rollins to fly out before fanning Shane Victorino on a high fastball.
Rodriguez threw 111 pitches and Tim Byrdak relieved for the eighth.
Aaron Boone, playing his first home game since open-heart surgery in March, was hit by Tyler Walker's pitch in the bottom of the eighth. He went to second on Michael Bourn's single and was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Matsui's single to center.
