[ MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerome Williams got a taste of playoff baseball by limiting the Astros to three runs over six innings at Houston last night.
Williams helps
hurt Astros
HOUSTON >> The Houston Astros are struggling to hold on to their NL Central lead.
Pinch-hitter Pedro Feliz and Ray Durham hit consecutive homers off Billy Wagner in the ninth inning last night, sending the San Francisco Giants to a 6-3 victory over the Astros.
Houston lost its third in a row and dropped into a tie for the division lead with the Chicago Cubs, who did not play. The Cubs hold a share of first place for the first time since Sept. 10.
"We have battled hard the last few days and we're still right there," Jeff Bagwell said. "We're playing against a very good team. That's why they're the team they are, they keep coming at you. They've got 25 guys who can beat you."
Marquis Grissom and Andres Galarraga also homered for the Giants, giving them a 2-0 lead. Bonds went 0-for-4, ending his streak of reaching base in 58 straight games.
"That's just one game," Bagwell said. "We've each got six games left. It's a six-game race and may the best team win. The team that executes the best is going to win in this last stretch."
Giants starter and Waipahu product Jerome Williams pitched six innings. He allowed 10 hits and three earned runs. Williams is 2-2 in his last 11 starts..
Houston went ahead 3-2 in the fourth on an RBI triple by Hidalgo and Ausmus' squeeze bunt.
"We've been in this position much of the year, swapping positions with St. Louis and Chicago," Jeff Kent said. "This hurts. We don't have much room to wiggle in right now."
Giants 6, Astros 3
San Francisco AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Durham 2b 4 1 1 2 1 2 .284 Grissom cf 5 1 2 1 0 1 .300 Aurilia ss 4 0 1 0 1 1 .273 Worrell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Bonds lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .337 Alfonzo 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .256 Nathan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 NPerez ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 .259 BSantiago c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .279 Torrealba c 0 0 0 0 0 0 .268 Galarraga 1b 3 2 1 1 1 0 .300 JoCruz rf 3 1 1 0 1 0 .249 JeWilliams p 2 0 1 0 0 1 .114 a-Snow ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .274 1-Ransom pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 FRodriguez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 Feliz 3b 1 1 1 2 0 0 .236 Totals 34 6 8 6 5 7 Houston AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Biggio cf 5 0 1 0 0 0 .265 Ensberg 3b 4 0 2 0 1 0 .286 Bagwell 1b 4 0 1 0 1 2 .275 JKent 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .298 Berkman lf 3 2 2 0 1 1 .289 Hidalgo rf 4 1 2 1 0 0 .316 Ausmus c 2 0 0 1 0 0 .229 b-JVizcaino ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .249 RChavez c 0 0 0 0 0 0 .233 AEverett ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 .253 Villone p 3 0 1 0 0 1 .175 Lidge p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Dotel p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 c-Merced ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .234 BWagner p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Saarloos p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 35 3 11 2 3 7
San Francisco 110 000 103 -- 6 8 0 Houston 010 200 000 -- 3 11 0
a-walked for Williams in the 7th. b-struck out for Ausmus in the 8th. c-struck out for Dotel in the 8th.
1-ran for Snow in the 7th.
LOB--San Francisco 6, Houston 10. 2B--Ensberg (15), Berkman (33), AEverett (18). 3B--Hidalgo (4). HR--Durham (8), off BWagner; Feliz (14), off BWagner; Galarraga (12), off Villone; Grissom (19), off Villone. RBIs--Durham 2 (28), Grissom (76), Galarraga (41), Feliz 2 (43), Hidalgo (87), Ausmus (46). S--Ausmus. GIDP--Bonds, Ausmus.
Runners left in scoring position--San Francisco 2 (Grissom 2); Houston 4 (Hidalgo 3, Villone).
Runners moved up--Bagwell.
DP--San Francisco 1 (Durham, Aurilia and Galarraga); Houston 1 (AEverett and Bagwell).
San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA JeWilliams 6 10 3 3 1 3 90 3.36 FRodriguez 1 1 0 0 1 0 18 3.05 Nathan W, 11-4 1 0 0 0 0 2 17 3.00 Worrell S, 37 1 0 0 0 1 2 16 2.47 Houston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Villone 6 1/3 4 2 2 1 4 88 3.92 Lidge H, 27 1/3 0 1 1 2 0 11 3.69 Dotel BS, 2 1 1/3 1 0 0 2 2 32 2.57 BWagner L, 1-4 2/3 3 3 3 0 0 18 1.82 Saarloos 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 9 5.28
Inherited runners-scored--Dotel 2-1.
HBP--by JeWilliams (JKent). WP--JeWilliams.
Umpires--Home, Kevin Kelley; First, Chuck Meriwether; Second, Tim Welke; Third, Gary Cederstrom.
T--3:09. A--36,372 (40,950).
