Astros 7, Rangers 0
Wandy Rodriguez cruised through seven innings and Jason Michaels hit a two-run homer as the Houston Astros avoided a sweep with a 7-0 victory over the visiting Texas Rangers on Thursday.
Carlos Lee added a solo homer and Chris Johnson singled in a pair of runs for the Astros, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Houston has won twice in the last 10 games - both against the in-state rival Rangers.
Rodriguez (6-4) continues to be one of the few bright spots for the Astros, surrendering just four hits while striking out four. The veteran lefthander has not been scored upon in four of his last six outings and owns a 1.77 ERA in nine starts since April 30.
Matt Harrison (6-7) came into the game riding a similar stretch of dominance but had his luck run out against Houston. Lee opened the scoring with his seventh homer in the fourth inning and the Astros broke it open in the fifth with four more runs.
Michaels put it away with his blast in the seventh.
Josh Hamilton provided the few highlights for Texas, making a pair of difficult catches in left field.