CINCINNATI (AP) – Aubrey Huff’s bases-loaded single highlighted Houston’s wacky seventh-inning rally Wednesday, and the Astros avoided a sweep with a 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Willy Taveras bunted for a single that extended his hitting streak to a club-record 26 games, and Adam Everett homered and drove in a pair of runs for the fading Astros. The defending NL champions won for only the third time in their last 12 games, a slide that has pushed them to the back of the pack of playoff contenders.

The Reds had won four in a row – their best streak in more than a month – but lost their cool during the Astros’ six-run rally in the seventh that turned on an ejection.

Roy Oswalt (10-8), who missed his last start because of a bruised pitching hand, improved to 16-1 career against Cincinnati. The right-hander gave up only two runs in six innings.

Trying to hold Cincinnati’s 2-1 lead, reliever Todd Coffey (6-5) gave up a single by Chris Burke that tied it, then intentionally walked Lance Berkman to load the bases.

Then, the meltdown began.

Plate umpire Wally Bell called a ball on a close pitch to Morgan Ensberg that left the count at 2-1. Catcher David Ross disagreed, and Bell stepped in front of him and lectured for several seconds.

The next pitch was low – Ross raised it back into the strike zone – but Coffey screamed and waved his arm when Bell called it a ball. He was ejected with a 3-1 count on Ensberg.

Ryan Franklin relieved, threw a called strike that drew a loud cheer from the crowd of 24,873, then walked Ensberg to force in the go-ahead run.

That was it for Franklin, setting up an oddity. The walk was charged to Coffey, so Franklin threw two pitches without technically facing a batter.

Huff pinch-hit and broke it open with his two-run single off Rheal Cormier. Jason Lane’s single and Everett’s double drove in two more, making it 7-2. Everett also had a solo homer off starter Chris Machalak.

One final twist to the 11-batter rally: Oswalt, who sacrificed for the first out, was lifted for a pinch-hitter the second time around.

Oswalt hadn’t pitched in nine days, letting his right hand recover from a nasty bruise left by Ronny Cedeno’s liner on Aug. 14. He wasn’t about to miss a chance to face the Reds, a team he beats nearly every time.

The right-hander was perfect against the Reds in his first five seasons, going 15-0. One of the longest unbeaten streaks in major league history ended in Cincinnati on April 28, when the Reds took a 3-2 lead off Oswalt and pulled away against the bullpen for a 5-4 win.

Notes: Only two other players in the majors have longer streaks than Taveras this season. Philadelphia’s Chase Utley hit in 36 in a row from June 23 to Aug. 3, and Boston’s Manny Ramirez put together a 27-game streak from July 15 to Aug. 12. … The Reds reinstated Michalak off the bereavement list before the game and optioned OF Norris Hopper to Triple-A Louisville. Michalak had attended his grandmother’s funeral on Tuesday. … Ken Griffey Jr. had an RBI double and a single, extending his hitting streak to eight games, matching his season high.