Astros 5, Phillies 1
Carlos Lee belted a solo homer and drove in two and Wandy Rodriguez tossed seven strong innings as the Houston Astros completed a four-game sweep of the host Philadelphia Phillies with a 5-1 triumph on Thursday afternoon.
Former Phillie Michael Bourn, Anderson Hernandez and Rodriguez had run-scoring singles and Angel Sanchez scored twice for Houston (58-69), which secured its first four-game sweep in Philadelphia since Sept. 6-9, 1999.
The Astros have won five in a row and 10 of their last 14 games.
Rodriguez (10-12) didn't allow a hit until Jayson Werth led off the fifth inning with a single to shallow left field. The 31-year-old left-hander allowed one run and five hits while striking out six in this one.
Jeff Fulchino and Fernando Abad recorded one scoreless inning apiece to preserve the victory.
Chase Utley ripped an RBI double and Raul Ibanez added three hits for Philadelphia (70-57), which fell three full games in back of the idle NL East-leading Atlanta Braves.
Kyle Kendrick (8-7) struggled mightily while pitching on his 26th birthday. The Houston native permitted four runs and nine hits in six innings to drop his third straight contest at Citizens Bank Park.