Berkman hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to help lift the Houston Astros to their eighth straight win with a 7-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
It gave Houston, which has won 16 of its last 20, a four-game sweep of the Giants.
“It’s unexplainable,” Berkman said. “This is a fairly remarkable streak. When the guys are all playing well like this, you have this feeling that you can always come back. We definitely feel like we’re going to win when it’s close in the seventh.”
Manager Cecil Cooper says pitching has carried the Astros lately.
“That’s the main thing,” said Cooper, whose club is three games above the .500 mark at 62-59 but remains in fourth place in the National League Central. “When we’ve won, we’ve always pitched well. When you’re playing like we’re playing, you start to feel a little invincible.”
With the score tied 4-4 in the eighth, Miguel Tejada led off with a single against reliever Keiichi Yabu (3-5). The Giants replaced Yabu with Alex Hinshaw, who allowed Berkman’s 25th homer.
Hinshaw had no excuses.
“Berkman is one of the best hitters in the National League,” he said. “His numbers speak for themselves. When I got him out two nights ago, I went away from him and with fastballs in.
“Today I went away from him, but I figured I would try to go in on him again, and he was sitting on it. I just caught too much of the plate, and he hit it pretty good.”
Berkman’s three RBI gave him 942 for his career, tying him with Jose Cruz for third place on the Astros list.
Manager Bruce Bochy saw his bullpen take two of the four losses against Houston.
“It wasn’t a good series for the bullpen,” Bochy said. “We couldn’t get anyone hot out there. That’s what it comes down to. We got the lead. We did what we wanted to do out there. He (Hinshaw) made a mistake.”
Humberto Quintero capped the scoring with an RBI single.
LaTroy Hawkins (1-0) pitched one-third of an inning for his first win as an Astro.
Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth for his 30th save. He has saves in all six appearances against the Giants this season.
Brian Moehler started and went 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and eight hits.
Giants starter Kevin Correia lasted 6 2/3 innings and allowed four runs (three earned), seven hits and a walk. He struck out five batters.
Randy Winn’s RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Pablo Sandoval gave the Giants a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
In the second, Houston’s Hunter Pence doubled and went to third on a groundout. He scored on a wild pitch.
Winn’s RBI double in the third made it 3-1.
The Astros tied it in the third on an RBI double by Berkman and a sacrifice fly by Geoff Blum. Fred Lewis’ ninth homer put the Giants back on top 4-3 in the sixth. But Darin Erstad’s RBI single tied it again at 4-4 in the seventh.
