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Sunday, May 28 3:05pm ET
Astros engineer rally at Enron | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Astros set a team record by homering in their 15th straight game, but their celebration was all about closer Billy Wagner. Ken Caminiti and Lance Berkman each homered in the eighth inning to rally the Astros to a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves Sunday and Wagner got his first save since May 4 at Chicago by pitching the ninth. "Guys were running out and hugging me like it was your first victory," Wagner said. "They were happy for me and happy that we won. That shows how this team hates it when (Jose) Lima is getting knocked around or (Jeff) Bagwell goes 0-for-4." Wagner, who converted 39 of 42 saves last season, has six blown saves this season. He had failed on five straight tries before earning his fifth save Sunday. "This is all you can do, keeping going back until it works," Wagner said. "I'm not facing guys with bags on their heads out there. Those are major league hitters. Last year is history. I have to go back and do it again." Braves starter Kevin Millwood allowed three hits over seven innings and struck out a season-high tying seven and left with a 3-1 lead but Rudy Seanez (2-3) couldn't hold it. Berkman hit a solo shot with one out in the eighth and after Jeff Bagwell walked, Caminiti followed with his 13th homer for a 4-3 lead. "It (homer) was ultra good, but this is big for Billy's confidence, Caminiti said. "This park takes a while to get used to and Billy's been struggling. It's been awhile since we won a game like this and Billy did a great job." Marc Valdes (1-0), acquired Saturday from Tampa Bay, made his first major league appearance since June 22, 1998, and worked the eighth for the victory. There have been 95 home runs in 25 games at Enron Field this season. In Houston's final season in the Astrodome last year, there were a combined 118 home runs. "We had a ton of chances to get a ton of runs and just couldn't get the big hit," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. Wagner got Chipper Jones to pop out for the final out of the game. "Everybody is in shock," Jones said. "A couple of missed pitches in the right spot and they can make you pay for it in a heartbeat." Millwood lasted only three innings in his last start at Milwaukee, but he was in complete control after giving up Caminiti's RBI single in the first. Bagwell doubled in the third, the Astros' final hit off Millwood. Millwood took himself out of the game. "Bobby (Cox) asked how I felt and I just felt for the benefit of the team, I should come out," Millwood said. "I didn't feel I could be as good as one of the guys in the bullpen. I'll take Rudy every day. This was just one of those days." Quilvio Veras singled to open the game and Andruw Jones followed with his 14th homer of the season off Chris Holt. Berkman lined a double down the first-base line and scored on Caminiti's single in the bottom half. Lopez led off the fourth with his sixth homer. "It felt good to get in right away," said Valdes, who arrived late Saturday night. "I didn't expect to come in in that situation. It was good timing, the whole game was good timing for us with the home runs." Game notesBobby Bonilla, who has three straight pinch-hits for the Braves, went 0-for-3 and struck out twice in Sunday's start. ... Andruw Jones made the catch of the day, a diving grab of Caminiti's fly to center field. ... Bagwell is four RBIs away from 1,000 for his career. ... The Astros have not been shut out in 79 games, the longest current streak in the major leagues. ... The Astrodome record for combined homers was 153 in 1998. The Astros hit an all-time record 82 homers in the Dome that year. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Atlanta Clubhouse Houston Clubhouse RECAPS Toronto 12 Detroit 7
Houston 4
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