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  Tuesday, May 23 8:05pm ET
Holt, Astros end seven-game slide
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

HOUSTON (AP) -- Chris Holt finally got the breakthrough performance the Houston Astros needed.

Holt pitched his second career complete game, and his two-run single in the second inning put the Astros ahead to stay on the way to a 10-2 victory over Philadelphia that snapped their seven-game losing streak Tuesday night.

"I knew that we needed to pull together as a team, and I was fortunate to battle through the early innings," said Holt, who hadn't won since April 28. "I finally figured out that my sinker and slider was working."

Holt (2-6) had lost three straight decisions since pitching the Astros' only other complete game of the season on April 28 with a one-hit, 7-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

"I finally started to get in a groove here at Enron Field," Holt said. "They make a big stink about Enron, but you keep it down, in and away, and you don't have any problems."

The Astros, coming off an 0-6 road trip, snapped their longest losing streak since they lost nine straight in 1996.

Holt's single to left field in the second inning put the Astros ahead 3-2. Holt allowed eight hits, struck out a season-high seven and walked four.

"Holt gave them exactly what they needed, a guy to take them deep into the game, and he did that," Phillies manager Terry Francona said. "Them scoring all those runs early made it easier on him."

Holt was impressive in the seventh. After yielding a single and walk, he struck out Doug Glanville, Ron Gant and Bobby Abreu.

"We were facing their big guys and he made some good sinker pitches," catcher Tony Eusebio said. "We needed a strong performance from our starting pitcher and now we can feel well and change things around a bit."

Randy Wolf (3-3) was the winning pitcher at Enron Field in a 4-1 victory over the Astros to open the regular season April 7. He lasted only three innings Tuesday, allowing six runs and eight hits as the Phillies lost for the eighth time in 10 games.

"I didn't feel my stuff was bad enough to give up six runs in three innings," Wolf said. "Sometimes you throw too many strikes that are hittable. I'll have to forget it and move on."

Wolf helped his own cause with a two-run single in the second inning, the first RBIs of his major league career in 47 major league at-bats. Mickey Morandini walked and went to third on Desi Relaford's double before Wolf's hit.

The Astros got the lead right back in the second on an RBI double by Tim Bogar and Holt's two-run single.

Wolf got the first two batters out in the third, but walked Ken Caminiti before Moises Alou hit his sixth homer. Richard Hidalgo followed with a single and scored on Eusebio's double for a 6-2 lead.

Craig Biggio's RBI single and a bases-loaded walk by Jason Boyd gave the Astros two more runs in the seventh. They made it 10-2 in the eighth on Roger Cedeno's two-run homer.

"It was a command performance," Astros manager Larry Dierker said of Holt. "He started out kind of shaky, but he kind of fought his way through those first few innings and then he started doing what he does best, getting those ground balls."

Game notes
The Astros are 0-12 this season in one-run games. ... The Astros have allowed 73 home runs this season, highest total in the NL. ... In 43 games this season, Phillies starters have gone seven innings 18 times. ... In his Enron debut April 7, Wolf held Houston to five hits and one run, Hidalgo's homer. ... Phillies third baseman Scott Rolen left the game with a sprained left ankle and was listed as day to day.

 


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