HOUSTON - Lance Berkman hit a tying three-run double and Jeff Kent drove in the go-ahead run in a big fifth inning, helping the Astros rally to a 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.
Berkman was 2-for-4 with four RBIs for Houston, which came back from four runs down to win its second in a row.
Kent left the game after the seventh inning after jamming his right pinkie while sliding into third base in the fifth. He remained in the game after the injury but didn't take the field for the eighth. There was no immediate word on the severity of the injury.
Kirk Bullinger pitched a scoreless fifth in relief of starter Tim Redding and picked up the win.
Octavio Dotel allowed Randall Simon's pinch-hit double in the ninth before finishing for his 14th save in 17 chances.
Josh Fogg allowed five runs and eight hits in four-plus innings in the Pirates' fourth straight loss. It was his second loss in his past six decisions.
Pittsburgh has lost 18 of its past 21 and 14 of its past 15 at Minute Maid Park.
With Houston trailing 4-0 in the fifth, Orlando Palmeiro led off with a single and moved to second when pinch-hitter Adam Everett was hit by a pitch by Fogg. Craig Biggio singled to load the bases for Jose Vizcaino, who drove in Palmeiro with a single.
Berkman followed with a bases-loaded three-run double to tie. Kent followed with a single to center to give Houston a 5-4 lead.
The Astros added a run in the sixth on Jason Lane's second home run of the season.
Berkman hit a run-scoring single in the eighth to make it 7-4.
Pittsburgh took a 4-0 lead against Redding in the fourth on Jason Bay's run-scoring double, Tike Redman's run-scoring single, a run-scoring groundout by Jose Castillo and another run-scoring single by Jason Kendall.
Redding allowed four runs and eight hits in 32/3 innings.
Griffey back on his game
ST. LOUIS - If Ken Griffey can stay in the lineup, the next 100 home runs might come a lot easier than his 500th.
Of course, for Junior, that's a big "if."
"Knock on wood, he stays healthy," Cincinnati manager Dave Miley said. "He's swinging the bat well, he feels good and that's probably as big a key as anything for him."
The Reds star, 34, who Sunday became the sixth-youngest player to reach 500 when he snapped a weeklong homer drought, once seemed like a good bet to chase down Hank Aaron's record of 755 home runs. He was the youngest to 350 homers, 400 and 450.
But injuries have slowed Griffey since: He has averaged 73 games and 14 homers the past three seasons.
"I don't worry about the time that I missed," he said. "When you play hard and you get hurt, that's one thing. If I would have done it doing something else, then I could say, "What if?' "
