Houston Astros Get a Win: Bust Out the Champagne

The Houston Astros have not tasted victory since their Grapefruit opener against the Washington Nationals on February 25.

Since that date, they've spiraled downward to a 1-16-3 record. But former All-Star and non-roster invitee Russ Ortiz has finally ended the horrendous drought by tossing six scoreless innings and striking out two without yielding a walk in a 4-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Laynce Nix's fourth-inning single was the only hit allowed by Ortiz, who moved closer to locking down a spot in the Astros' starting rotation. Right-hander Chris Sampson followed Ortiz's dominant performance with two scoreless innings.

Reds starter Johnny Cueto pitched respectably, giving up six hits and two runs in five innings. Right-handed Cincinnati reliever Nick Masset allowed three hits and two runs over three innings.

Catcher Humberto Quintero got the offense going for the Astros with a two-out RBI single in the second to score Geoff Blum. Outfielder Reggie Abercrombie crossed home plate after Ortiz crushed an RBI single.

Darin Erstad led off the sixth with a double, setting the stage for Lance Berkman. The former Rice University All-American connected on his first home run of the spring and increased the Houston lead to 4-0.

Former Astro Daryle Ward went deep for a ninth-inning two-run homer off Bud Norris, but Astro reliever Jeff Fulchino recorded the final two outs of the ninth.

Houston looks to make it two in a row when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays in a Saturday afternoon game in Dunedin. Right-hander Jose Capellan, who has a 0.00 ERA this spring, gets a chance to state his case for a rotation spot, but draws a challenging counterpart in five-time All-Star and 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay.

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