HOUSTON (AP) - Mitch Meluskey is starting to assert himself as the Houston Astros' No. 1 catcher.

Meluskey took one more step toward that goal Wednesday night when he hit a two-run homer to help the Astros and Shane Reynolds to a 5-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Meluskey, a rookie who missed most of last year with shoulder surgery, has shared the catching duties with veteran Tony Eusebio this season. But Meluskey has been hitting well recently, going 9-for-19 in his last five games including four doubles and a homer.

"We all knew he could hit," manager Larry Dierker said. "But the thing we didn't know was if he could catch well enough for the pitchers to have confidence in him. The most encouraging thing now is his defense is coming around and he's gaining the confidence of the pitchers."

Meluskey, who hit .353 at Triple-A New Orleans in 1998, knew he had to improve his defense to stay in the majors.

"Catching is more important than hitting," he said. "This as the first time I've caught Shane, and we had some rough spots. But most of the time, I did all right."

Reynolds, who won his fifth consecutive decision as the Astros won a series at Enron Field for the first time, agreed.

"He's learning," said Reynolds, who normally pitches to Eusebio. "(Meluskey) gets excited and he's very enthusiastic. He enjoys the game.

"But he's still learning. He's got to learn all the pitchers and he's got to learn all the hitters in this league, their tendencies and a zillion other things. But if he's willing to learn all that, I think he's going to be a good catcher someday."

For now, Dierker says he expects to use Meluskey more than 50 percent of the time, even after Eusebio's sore elbow heals.

"I keep telling Mitch to watch Tony," Dierker said. "Tony's always calm. He doesn't ever run out like everything's on fire. He has a calming effect on the pitchers. We don't want Mitch to change his whole personality, but he can definitely pick up some pointers from Tony.

"But one thing is for sure, Mitch can hit."

Meluskey is up to .286 after starting the season under .200 the first three weeks.

"Last year was a long year for me," Meluskey said. "It was tough being hurt all that time. But I'm feeling a lot more comfortable out there now."

The Rockies lost two of three at Enron Park, the Astros' first series victory at their new home. Masato Yoshii fell to 1-4 as he allowed five runs on seven hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Yoshii said through an interpreter he didn't care much for the new park.

"It's small, but I pitched in smaller ballparks in Japan," Yoshii said. "The difference is the hitters here are a lot bigger."

Reynolds (5-0) pitched seven innings and allowed one run on four hits and two walks. Reynolds is off to the best start of his career after five decisions, and the five-game winning streak ties his career high.

Reynolds held the Rockies hitless until the fourth inning.

"He has just been outstanding this year," Dierker said. "In my mind he's been our ace all of these years. He hasn't always had the most wins, but he's been the best pitcher. That's why I have started him Opening Day each year. Maybe this will be the year he gets those 20 wins."