HOUSTON (AP) – Roy Oswalt won his sixth straight start, Craig Biggio got two hits to tie Barry Bonds for 49th on the all-time hit list and the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 Saturday.

Oswalt (12-7) is 9-1 with a 2.07 ERA in 10 starts at home this season. He went 6 1-3 innings and allowed two runs on nine hits and a walk, striking out seven. Oswalt has a decision in all of his starts this season.

Russ Springer pitched a perfect eighth and Brad Lidge worked the ninth for his 19th save in 22 chances.

Biggio’s second hit of the game gave him 2,730 for his career and moved him into a tie with Barry Bonds, who has been injured all season. Biggio is in his 18th season, all with the Astros.

Mike Lamb went 2-for-4 for the Astros, who have won six of seven and 15 of 19 to climb back to .500 for the first time since April 22 when they were 8-8.

Houston, which was 15 games under .500 on May 24, has won 14 of its last 16 at home.

The Dodgers have lost three straight and six of eight.

Orlando Palmeiro hit Jeff Weaver’s first-pitch of the second inning for a home run and gave Houston a 1-0 lead. It was Palmeiro’s third homer of the year.

Weaver (7-8) went six innings and allowed three runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out three.

Hee-Seop Choi had a standup triple in the fourth, driving in Jeff Kent to tie it at 1.

Biggio singled in the sixth and advanced to third on Lance Berkman’s double. He scored on a wild pitch by Weaver for the go-ahead run. Mike Lamb followed with a double off the right-field for a 3-1 lead.

The Dodgers loaded the bases in the sixth inning to chase Oswalt. Reliever Chad Qualls threw a wild pitch to let in a run, but struck out Kent and Jayson Werth to end the threat.

Willy Taveras’ sacrifice fly to right drove in Jose Vizcaino to make it 4-2 in the seventh.

Notes: Houston purchased the contract of RHP Travis Driscoll from Triple-A Round Rock Saturday. Driscoll was 5-3 with a 5.01 ERA in 32 appearances at Round Rock. He took the place of Wandy Rodriguez, who was sent down to Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday to make a start during the All-Star break. Rodriguez will be recalled July 19 to start against Pittsburgh in a double-header. … Ricky Ledee singled as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning in his first at-bat since going on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring June 5. He remained in the game and played right field and walked in the ninth.

AP-ES-07-09-05 1619EDT


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