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Tuesday, Sep. 5 8:05pm ET
Rookie McKnight gets first victory | |||||
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GAME LOG
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston hitters made Tony McKnight's second major league start a bit easier than his first. McKnight, boosted by some early support, got his first career victory and Julio Lugo homered as the Astros beat the Florida Marlins 9-5 Tuesday night before 27,408, the smallest crowd at Enron Field since it opened in April. "I was antsy and nervous, but we got some runs early and that threw the nerves out the window," McKnight said. McKnight (1-1), recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Friday, was backed by an early 8-0 lead. He gave up two runs -- one earned -- and five hits in five innings. It was his second major league start. "I was more nervous this start than the first one," McKnight said. "I didn't think about the hitters, I just tried to make pitches. I knew I had a good defense behind me." McKnight's approach was simple. "I didn't try to trick anyone, I just tried to get my fastball over and mix in some changeups," he added. "I thought he had a good fastball and changeup. Usually after a while the other club will expect you to make some mistakes with the fastball, but he didn't make many tonight," Dierker said. Lugo was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Reid Cornelius (3-8) was tagged for eight runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. He is 0-6 in 11 starts since July 2. "I didn't have a good night. I got behind the hitters and left the ball over the middle of the plate," Cornelius said. "They did what they are supposed to do, hit the ball real hard." Houston took a 3-0 lead in the first on Moises Alou's RBI single and Richard Hidalgo's two-run single, and Lugo's solo homer made it 4-0 in the second. The Astros added four runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Tim Bogar and Lugo and a two-run triple by Billy Spiers. "This was his poorest outing of the season. He just didn't have it tonight," Marlins manager John Boles said of Cornelius. Florida cut it to 8-2 in the fifth when Mark Kotsay hit an RBI double and scored on a fielding error by first baseman Jeff Bagwell. "I thought he had a good fastball and changeup," Astros manager Larry Dierker said of McKnight. "Usually after a while the other club will expect you to make some mistakes with the fastball, but he didn't make many tonight." Bagwell had an RBI single in the sixth, but Mike Lowell hit a two-run homer in the seventh and Kevin Millar homered in the eighth. Game notesHouston C Tony Eusebio had surgery to repair a third degree separation of his right shoulder. ... Bagwell scored his major league-leading 127th run. ... Houston C Mitch Meluskey has thrown out only 13 runners in 66 steal attempts this season ... Alex Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games for Florida ... Luis Castillo is 16 hits away from Florida's single season hit record, 175, by Jeff Conine in 1996. ... Mike Lowell extended his hitting streak to 16 games, a career high. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Florida Clubhouse Houston Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 10 Oakland 3
Houston 9 AUDIO/VIDEO   Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker says he is concerned about Ken Ciminiti.wav: 168 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Larry Dierker says Caminiti is dealing with his injuries.wav: 248 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 | |||||