NEW YORK – Andy Pettitte had another frustrating outing in his return to New York.

Pitching across town from the ballpark where he became a star during nine seasons with the Yankees, he allowed just one run but struggled with his control and didn’t make it out of the sixth inning. The Mets went on to beat Pettitte’s Houston Astros 2-1 behind Joe McEwing’s go-ahead single in the seventh off former-Met David Weathers.

Hat pulled low and glove held high, Pettitte was back on the mound in the city where he started the Yankees’ clinching win in Game 5 of the 2000 World Series. He was given a mixture of applause and boos when he stepped to the plate in the third inning, but the reception quickly turned to all jeers when he didn’t run out a weak grounder to shortstop.

Pettitte, winless in his last three starts, is 6-4 with a 3.90 ERA in his first season with his hometown Astros, who signed him in December to a $31.5 million, three-year contract. He hurt his elbow while batting in his first start of the season, an injury that has twice forced him to the disabled list and limited the left-hander to 15 starts.

He allowed one run and four hits in 5 2-3 innings against the Mets, walking four and striking out five. He left with the bases loaded after rookie David Wright reached on a hard grounder down the third-base line that Morgan Ensberg kept to an infield single with a diving stop.

Weathers (6-7), dealt to Houston on June 17 in the deal that brought Richard Hidalgo to New York, then got Cliff Floyd to hit into a forceout, but the Mets went ahead in the next inning when Danny Garcia doubled leading off and scored on McEwing’s two-out single.

Victor Zambrano (2-0) won his second straight start since the Mets acquired him from Tampa Bay on July 30, allowing an unearned run and two hits in seven innings. Houston’s only hits off him were Jose Vizcaino’s infield single off the glove of Wright at third base in the fifth, and Lance Berkman’s tying single in the sixth, a hard drive into right field.

Mike Stanton and Ricky Bottalico combined on a hitless eighth, and Braden Looper finished the two-hitter for his 23rd save in 26 chances.

New York’s injury-depleted lineup was missing catcher Mike Piazza (inflamed knee), shortstop Kaz Matsui (bad back), infielder Jose Reyes (sore left leg) and Floyd (sore ribs).

Playing just 12 hours after defeating the Mets 5-4 in a rain-delayed, 10-inning game, Houston kept first baseman Jeff Bagwell, left fielder Craig Biggio and second baseman Jeff Kent out of its starting lineup.

Hidalgo scored the Mets’ first run in the second inning, leading off with a single against his former team and coming around when Mike Cameron hit Pettitte’s next pitch to the base of the fence in left-center for a double.

Houston tied the score in the sixth after Zambrano threw wildly to first for an error on Eric Bruntlett’s comebacker starting the inning. Pettitte sacrificed him to third with one out, Zambrano loaded the bases with walks to Orlando Palmeiro and Carlos Beltran, and Lance Berkman followed with an RBI single. Zambrano escaped more trouble when Mike Lamb hit an inning-ending groundout.

Notes: When Brad Ausmus caught Gerald Williams trying to steal second base in the third inning, it ended New York’s team-record streak of 21 straight steals dating to July 19 against Florida. … Roger Clemens is scheduled to start Friday at Montreal.

AP-ES-08-12-04 1505EDT