Game Recap

Oswalt continues dominance over Reds

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- The Cincinnati Reds simply cannot solve Roy Oswalt .

Rookie Willy Taveras snapped a tie with an RBI single in the fifth inning and Oswalt recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts en route to his 15th win over the Reds in as many decisions as the Houston Astros completed a sweep of their three-game series with a 3-1 triumph.

Entering the season with an 11-0 mark against Cincinnati, Oswalt prevailed in each of his previous three outings vs. the Reds this season to keep his perfect mark intact. In his shortest career start against his National League Central Division rivals, he fell behind early but lasted long enough to watch Taveras deliver a run-scoring single that gave the Astros a 2-1 lead.

After striking out the side in the first inning, Oswalt (16-11) ran into trouble in the second. Adam Dunn led off the frame with a double and Sean Casey followed with an RBI single, giving Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.

Casey was thrown out at second attempting to stretch the hit into a double, and Oswalt retired the next eight batters before Casey and Javier Valentin opened the fifth with consecutive singles. But after a popout by Edwin Encarnacion , Oswalt struck out Ray Olmedo and counterpart Aaron Harang to end the threat and fanned fellow All-Star Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns to begin the sixth before Ken Griffey Jr. singled.

Dunn walked and Houston manager Phil Garner called upon Mike Gallo , who induced a flyout by Casey to preserve the Astros' 2-1 lead.

Chad Qualls and Dan Wheeler followed with a scoreless inning apiece and Brad Lidge worked a perfect ninth for his 32nd save.

Luke Scott drove in Houston's first run with a triple in the fourth and Lance Berkman added an insurance run in the sixth with his 14th homer, keeping the Astros within one-half game of first-place Philadelphia in the NL wild card standings.

Reds starter Aaron Harang (9-12) pitched well, allowing three runs and five hits with three strikeouts in seven innings. The righthander walked two and hit a pair of batters.

Kearns added a double for Cincinnati, which fell to 1-8 at Minute Maid Park this season.