Braves 9, Astros 4

<p>John Smoltz's back was aching, but it sure didn't show on the mound.</p><p>While Atlanta roughed up Roy Oswalt, Smoltz allowed only two hits in five innings for his third straight win, leading the Braves past the slumping Houston Astros 9-4 on Friday night.</p><p>Johnny Estrada hit a three-run homer and six of his teammates also had RBIs. The surging Braves _ they've won 11 of 14 _ outscored Houston 18-7 in the first two games of the four-game series.</p><p>Smoltz (3-3) strained a muscle in the middle of his back while coughing a few days ago. He thought the pain had gone away, but it returned while he warmed up before the game.</p><p>The right-hander still managed to retire the first 10 hitters and give up only run before coming out after the fifth _ long enough to qualify for the win.</p><p>"I hate doing bare minimum stuff," Smoltz said. "But today I had no option."</p><p>While the injury wasn't thought to be serious, he's willing to sit out his next start at Colorado if the back is still bothering him.</p><p>"I'm glad I got through it," Smoltz said. "But obviously I don't want this to linger."</p><p>The Astros knew they had squandered a chance to produce some runs against the hard-throwing right-hander.</p><p>"Smoltz didn't look unhittable," manager Phil Garner said.</p><p>Oswalt (4-3), a 20-game winner last season who beat Atlanta in the deciding fifth game of the division series, gave up 10 hits and nine runs _ including a career-high seven earned runs _ in a grim five-inning stint.</p><p>"I thought it was the best fastball he's had all year," Garner said. "That's why I stayed with him as long as I did."</p><p>Oswalt didn't get much help from his defense, either. The Astros misplayed two fly balls in Atlanta's three-run second, and Lance Berkman, playing out of position in his return from the disabled list, made a throwing error at first base that led to a pair of unearned runs in the fifth.</p><p>"I feel better tonight than I have in a long time. That's the funny thing," said Oswalt, who's been bothered by a sprained foot. "A few balls here and there could have been caught."</p><p>Berkman went 0-for-4 in his first game since offseason surgery, needed after he tore up his right knee in a flag football game. He's a welcome addition for the Astros, who have lost four in a row and 10 of their last 13.</p><p>But Houston is still hurting. Berkman played first with Jeff Bagwell missing his third straight game because of a sore shoulder. Bagwell is unlikely to start the rest of the series.</p><p>The Braves got off to a quick start against Oswalt _ Rafael Furcal and Marcus Giles led off the first with singles _ but the right-hander had a chance to escape when he fanned Adam LaRoche for the second out.</p><p>Oswalt couldn't get by Estrada, however. The Braves' catcher got hold of a curve at his ankles, golfing the pitch into the right-field seats for a 3-0 lead and his first homer since Sept. 10 of last season.</p><p>"I'm disappointed in the way I've started the season offensively," said Estrada, hitting just .237. "But I'm not a home run hitter. If I was trying to hit homers, I'd probably be hitting .140."</p><p>The Braves scored three more in the second while the Astros staggered around in the outfield. Again, Atlanta struck for all its runs with two outs.</p><p>Furcal hit a drive to the edge of the warning track in left, potentially the third out until Mike Lamb circled the wrong way, stuck out his glove out too far in a futile attempt to catch the ball and almost got hit in the arm. Furcal sped around to third, credited with an RBI triple.</p><p>Giles followed with a liner to center. Willy Tavares probably could have caught the ball without moving, but he broke to his right, then scrambled back too late to reach a ball that fell in for a run-scoring double. Chipper Jones finished off the inning with an RBI double of his own.</p><p>The Braves had another three-run outburst in the fifth. After Giles led off with a double, Jones hit a grounder to Berkman, but the neophyte first baseman made an errant throw to Oswalt covering the bag.</p><p>Berkman, normally an outfielder, started at first for the first time in his seven-year career to take some of the strain off his knee. But his error cleared the way to another big inning. LaRoche singled in a run, Brian Jordan had a sacrifice fly and Andruw Jones chipped in with an RBI single.</p><p>"I'm not 100 percent, but I'm good enough to where I feel like I can be competitive," Berkman said. "I just need to be out there."</p><p>Raul Mondesi and Smoltz were the only Atlanta starters who didn't have an RBI.</p><p>Houston's Jason Lane hit his team-high fifth homer in the ninth, a two-run shot.</p><p>Notes:@ Lamb drove in the other two Houston runs. ... Berkman has played eight games at first base in his career. ... Giles is 5-for-7 in two games against Astros. He came into the series mired in an 0-for-16 slump. ... Estrada's three RBIs equaled his career high. ... Oswalt has yet to beat the Braves in five regular-season starts, going 0-2 with a 6.41 ERA.</p>

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