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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
DENVER (AP) -- On the verge of imploding, the Houston Astros put aside their internal problems and gave manager Larry Dierker reason to believe their worst days are behind them.
|  | | Ken Caminiti went 3-for-5 with this home run and three runs batted in. |
Ken Caminiti homered and drove in three runs Tuesday night as the Astros beat the Colorado Rockies 6-3 on the one-year
anniversary of Dierker's life-threatening seizure at the Astrodome.
The team chaplain called Dierker before the game to remind him of the anniversary.
"He said he thought maybe we could look at this as a turning
point and maybe we will get it going like we did last year when we
won 90 games," Dierker said. "It was a call to lift me up."
Recovered from his own adversity, Dierker has had plenty of
anguish on the field as the Astros (23-40) have the league's worst
record. They hit another low Sunday when rookie Mitch Meluskey
punched Matt Mieske during batting practice in San Diego.
In the wake of the scuffle, general manager Gerry Hunsicker held
a 25-minute pregame meeting Tuesday.
"I believe we hit rock bottom," Caminiti said. "I really
believe that. Rock bottom was San Diego. I think there was just a
karma or an aura today that I haven't felt in a long time."
Houston, which had lost 12 of 13 on the road, built a 5-1 lead
against Rolando Arrojo (4-5), and Shane Reynolds pitched six
innings for his first victory since May 10.
Reynolds (6-3), elevated to staff ace when Mike Hampton was
traded to the New York Mets during the offseason, gave up one run
and eight hits. He walked three and struck out five.
"He had a lot to do with what was happening out there until he
left," Rockies manager Buddy Bell said. "They have an awful good
chance to win when he is out there. I don't care who he is pitching
against."
Billy Wagner pitched the ninth for his sixth save in 13 chances,
helping to give the Astros some bravado they've lacked for two
months.
"The whole season has been a mini-disaster," Dierker said.
"We certainly don't want it to end that way, but that is the way
it started. So every victory at this point is important if for
nothing else confidence."
Tom Goodwin had three hits and stole two bases for the Rockies,
who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Colorado also left
13 runners on base and lost for the first time in nine games at
Coors Field.
"You always expect that you're going to battle, but you know
it's not going to happen every time," Goodwin said.
The Astros led 5-1 when the Rockies rallied against Jay Powell
in the eighth.
Brent Mayne had a bases-loaded single to drive in a run, and
Goodwin forced home a run when he drew a four-pitch walk from Butch
Henry. The threat ended when Mike Lansing lined out to second.
Caminiti hit a solo homer, his 15th, off Mike DeJean in the
eighth.
"Every day's a big challenge," Caminiti said. "I hope we come
to this clubhouse expecting to win. That's a feeling that I don't
know if we've had for a while. I think we've had that feeling of
what's going to go wrong."
Caminiti had a two-out RBI double in the first and a run-scoring
single in the third to help Houston build a 4-0 lead before Goodwin
scored on Larry Walker's two-out triple in the fifth.
Meluskey put Houston ahead 5-1 with an RBI single in the sixth,
and Arrojo left for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the inning. He
gave up five runs and 12 hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
Game notes
Reynolds made his first start in Colorado since Sept. 8,
1996. ... Rockies OF Jeffrey Hammonds extended his career-best hitting streak to 12 games. ... Houston OF Moises Alou has hit in
11 straight. ... Goodwin, who leads the majors with 29 steals, had
his 59th career multisteal game. ... Colorado 1B Todd Helton has
just six hits in his last 28 at-bats, dropping his NL-leading
average from .418 to .392. ... Wagner is 4-for-4 in save
opportunities at Coors Field.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Colorado Clubhouse
RECAPS
Chi. White Sox 4
Cleveland 3
Detroit 16
Toronto 3
Boston 5
NY Yankees 3
Anaheim 5
Tampa Bay 3
Baltimore 3
Texas 2
Seattle 7
Kansas City 0
Oakland 6
Minnesota 5
St. Louis 8
San Diego 3
Pittsburgh 7
Atlanta 6
Philadelphia 4
Florida 3
Chicago Cubs 4
NY Mets 3
Montreal 9
Milwaukee 4
Houston 6
Colorado 3
Los Angeles 6
Arizona 1
San Francisco 3
Cincinnati 2
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