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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
HOUSTON (AP) -- Those goals Moises Alou set for himself in spring
training looked rather shaky after he missed 30 games early in the
season with an assortment of injuries.
|  | | Chris Truby was a single away from the cycle. |
After another big game Friday night, though, he's feeling pretty
comfortable about those predictions.
Alou homered, doubled twice and drove in four runs as the Astros beat Pittsburgh 16-7, the Pirates' season-high seventh straight loss.
Chris Truby homered, tripled, doubled and drove in five runs for
the Astros. Houston tied its season high for runs, having scored 16
against the Pirates on Aug. 14.
Alou missed all of last season after knee surgery. When he came
back this season, he set goals of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. But
after calf, ankle and knee injuries caused him to miss so much time
in April and May, he was discouraged.
"To tell the truth, I didn't think I was going to accomplish
them," Alou said. "I never had any doubt I could if I stayed
healthy. But it didn't look like I would."
Alou now has 29 home runs and 101 RBI.
"It's just a real tribute to him," manager Larry Dierker said.
"When (Roger) Cedeno came back, I talked to Mo and told him I
wanted to rest him some so I could get playing time for Cedeno.
"But none of those guys like him and (Jeff) Bagwell and
(Richard) Hidalgo wanted to rest because they all had goals set for
themselves and they wanted to reach them even though we were having
a bad year. It's very impressive that Moises has managed to reach
them even though he missed all that time."
Bagwell is equally impressed by Alou's accomplishments.
"Everybody always said he was one of the best clutch hitters in
baseball," Bagwell said. "But now with his average (.360), you
can see he's one of the best all-around hitters in the game.
"He's phenomenal. I've never seen anybody as consistently good
as he is. It's been really special to watch."
Truby and Alou both doubled during a six-run eighth inning that
broke open the game.
Pittsburgh, which held an early 5-0 lead, fell to 0-5 at Enron
Field. Brian Giles hit his 33rd home run and John Vander Wal also
connected for the Pirates.
"They are a team that if you're a left-handed pitcher, you'd
better have your best stuff," Pirates manager Gene Lamont said.
"These guys are probably the best right-handed hitting team in the
league."
Reliever Brian Powell (2-1) threw two hitless innings for the
victory. He pitched for the first time since Aug. 28, having been
sidelined by a sore shoulder.
Matt Skrmetta (1-2) pitched two innings and allowed two runs on
three hits.
The Pirates scored five times in the second off Tony McKnight,
starting with Vander Wal's 22nd homer. Pat Meares hit a two-run
double and Adrian Brown added a two-run single.
Truby hit a two-run triple in the bottom half and scored on Tim
Bogar's groundout.
Alou and Lance Berkman doubled to tie it at 4 in the third, and
Truby's homer put the Astros ahead. The Pirates regained the lead
at 7-6 in the fourth on Giles' home run.
Alou's two-run homer in the fifth, his 29th, put Houston ahead
8-7. Mitch Meluskey added an RBI single in the sixth and Bogar
singled home a run for a 10-7 lead in the seventh.
In the eighth, Alou hit a two-run double and Truby had an RBI
double.
Game notes
Meluskey played in his 105th game, the most by an Astros
rookie since Jeff Bagwell (156) and Luis Gonzalez (137), both in
1991. ... Houston pitcher Scott Linebrink's single in the second
inning was his first major league hit. ... Vander Wal stretched his
career high hitting streak to 16 games, tying the Pirates' season
best set by Wil Cordero's 16-gamer set April 20-May 23.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
Houston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Seattle 10
Baltimore 2
Boston 7
Detroit 6
Cleveland 11
NY Yankees 1
Oakland 17
Tampa Bay 3
Toronto 6
Chi. White Sox 5
Anaheim 16
Minnesota 5
Texas 12
Kansas City 11
Cincinnati 6
Milwaukee 4
Montreal 4
NY Mets 3
Philadelphia 7
Florida 4
Houston 16
Pittsburgh 7
St. Louis 3
Chicago Cubs 2
Arizona 2
Atlanta 1
San Diego 5
San Francisco 4
Los Angeles 4
Colorado 3
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