Carlos Lee had a two-RBI double during a four-run third inning off Bronson Arroyo as the Astros won for just the second time in 14 games. One more loss would’ve matched the longest skid in franchise history, set in August 1995.
Williams (2-7) allowed seven hits and two walks in five innings. He threw 117 pitches, also a season high, to earn his first win in four starts.
Houston scored four runs or fewer in 10 consecutive losses. Brad Ausmus gave the first hint that the Astros were going to finally shake out of their tailspin when he led off the third with just his third triple in four seasons.
Williams grounded out, but Craig Biggio came through with an RBI single to left. Biggio went 3-for-5, his first three-hit game since April 25.
Mark Loretta singled and one out later, Lee lined a double into the left-field corner, scoring Biggio and Loretta. Rookie Hunter Pence followed with a double off the left-field wall to put Houston up 4-0, only the fifth time in 14 games the Astros had scored that many runs.
Williams struck out six Reds in the first three innings, but also gave up three hits and a walk. The Reds loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth and Williams fanned Arroyo to end the threat.
Scott Hatteberg doubled and scored on Brandon Phillips’ two-out single in the fifth. Adam Dunn then blooped a hit to shallow center to score Phillips and make it 4-2. Williams struck out Alex Gonzalez to end the inning and his night.
In the Astros’ fifth, Biggio and Loretta had consecutive one-out singles off Arroyo (2-6) before Berkman hit a 3-2 pitch into the right-field seats, his first homer in 19 games. The four-time All-Star had only three hits in his previous 34 at-bats.
Lee singled and Luke Scott tripled to score him later in the inning to make it 8-2.
Scott and Adam Everett added RBI singles in the seventh off Mike Stanton.
Biggio doubled and Loretta singled in the eighth, giving the Astros 16 hits, which matched a season high.
