KFDM COOP Posted April 5, 2008 Report Posted April 5, 2008 Astros Berkman, Wigginton leave game against Cubs with injuries CHICAGO — It was a painful Saturday afternoon for the Astros at Wrigley Field. The starting corner infielders exited with injuries, landing Ty Wigginton at a local hospital for precautionary X-rays on a bruised left thumb. Lance Berkman, meanwhile, conceded that he isn't sure how much time his neck spasms will keep him out. As if that weren’t enough, Astros ace Roy Oswalt was denied a victory yet again while struggling and even suffering his own medical scare. Oh, and the bullpen was punished, too. On a day Derrek Lee had his way, Oswalt couldn’t protect a three-run lead as the Chicago Cubs mounted a five-run rally in the seventh inning for the come-from-behind 9-7 victory at Wrigley Field. While tying the three-game series at one game apiece, Lee went 4-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and three runs before a crowd of 40,707. “He’s a good hitter,†Oswalt said of Lee after giving up 10 hits and six runs (five earned) with one walk over 6 2/3 innings. “I’ve always had problems with him. I’d get him out early in my career. Then lately it seems like he knows what’s coming. It’s more embarrassing than anything if you’re winning 5-2 and can’t keep it.†With the loss, Oswalt fell to 0-2. “I am a little concerned about my ace,†manager Cecil Cooper said. “Anytime you send him out there and you get five runs you think you have a chance to win it. We’ll go back to the drawing board and try to get him on track.†The Astros took a quick 2-0 lead. Michael Bourn led off the contest with a single up the middle and stole second. Hunter Pence put runners at the corners with an infield single between third and the mound, where righthander Jason Marquis couldn’t make a play. Marquis traded a run for an out as Bourn scored when Berkman followed with a double play grounder back to the mound. After Miguel Tejada drew a leadoff walk in the second, Wigginton singled to center and Mark Loretta made it 2-0 with an RBI single to center. The Cubs cut the Astros’ lead in half in the bottom of the second. Catcher Geovany Soto hit a one-out triple off the ivy in left-center. One out later, Marquis hit an RBI double to right. Lee tied the score at 2 by ripping Oswalt’s 3-1 offering for a solo home run to center field in the third inning. Carlos Lee countered with a leadoff home run to left field in the fourth inning, giving the Astros a 3-2 lead. A few seconds later, it was announced that Berkman wouldn’t return because of neck spasms. He was replaced by Darin Erstad in the bottom of the fourth. "You can’t (hit)," said Berkman, who suffered the injury Friday while running the bases. "I mean, that’s why I came out of the game. ... I was trying to play if I possibly could. Really after my first at-bat I should have come out. But after my second at-bat, I couldn’t. I can’t turn my head, so I had to hit completely different than I normally would." Marquis led off the fifth with a grounder to third, reaching safely all the way to second when Wigginton sent his throw over Erstad’s head and into the seats. Marquis tried to tag toward third on Alfonso Soriano’s fly out to center, but Bourn nailed him. Wigginton hung in for the crucial tag as Marquis’ spikes made contact with his glove, causing the injury that forced him to leave in the seventh inning. The Astros weren’t as forgiving in the sixth. Pence led off with a dribbler in front of the plate, hustling down the line and reaching safely when Derrek Lee committed an error trying to catch Soto’s throw. Pence stole second and scored after Erstad hit an RBI double to right-center. Carlos Lee, who was 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and a home run, made it 5-2 with another RBI double to right-center field. Derrek Lee led off the sixth with a double into the right field corner. One out later, Kosuke Fukudome surprised the Astros with a bunt down the left side to put runners at the corners. Not much later, Cooper and trainer Dave Labossiere to go check on him. Derrek Lee then scored when Ausmus committed a passed ball on Oswalt’s pitch to Mark DeRosa . “I felt OK early,†Oswalt said. “Just got to the fifth inning and felt my biceps kind of pinch me after that. I don’t know if it’s just a nerve, but I didn’t make it through the seventh.†Theriot led off the five-run seventh with a walk, and pinch hitter Mike Fontenot hit an infield single to short. Theriot reached third on Soriano’s groundout to third and scored on Reed Johnson’s groundout to short. Derrek Lee followed with his RBI single through the left side, tying the score at 5 and prompting Cooper to call on righthander Oscar Villarreal. “Derrek, we just didn’t make any pitches on him,†Cooper said. “We got some fastballs out over the plate. In both cases, the first two times, I know he put a good swing on some pitches that were out over the plate. I know we were trying to go in and just left them out over the plate. “Good hitters don’t miss those kind of pitches. Roy’s got to be a little bit better in those situations. The last time I thought we had a chance to maybe get him. He made a pretty good pitch down, but therein a guy put a pretty good swing on a pretty good pitch.†After Ramirez drew a walk from Villarreal, Cooper called lefthander Wesley Wright to face Fukudome, who ripped a two-run double to left. DeRosa then greeted righthanded reliever Geoff Geary with an RBI double to right-center. The Astros countered with two runs in the eighth, but it wasn't enough to ease the pain.
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