MONTREAL (AP) -- Even with a chance to hit for the cycle, Peter Bergeron would have settled for any kind of hit.

Bergeron fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle and Rondell White tied a team record with three doubles as the Montreal Expos held off the Houston Astros 8-7 Saturday night.

Bergeron, 3-for-4 with two RBI, hit his third homer off Scott Elarton (2-1) in the first, doubled in the second, walked in the fourth, and hit a run-scoring single in the fifth. Needing a triple to complete the cycle, Bergeron grounded to short in the seventh.

"I knew what was going on," Bergeron said. "If I had a sure double, maybe I'd have stretched it to go for a triple. But I wasn't up at the plate trying to muscle one out to the gap, or anything like that. I just wanted to get that four-hit night more than the triple."

White doubled in each of his first three at-bats to tie a team record shared by 26 players, and drove in two runs. He grounded out and popped out in his last two plate appearances.

Hideki Irabu (2-3) allowed six hits and three runs in six innings for his first victory in his last seven starts. Irabu also drove in a run for the first time in his career with a single in the second inning.

Montreal built an 8-2 lead through five innings before Houston pulled close by scoring four runs off three Expos relievers.

Dustin Hermanson allowed Houston's last two runs, but earned his third save by getting the final three outs.

"It's good that I had a little lead to deal with there, but things like that happen," Hermanson said. "The most important thing is we got the win, and just keep going from here."

Houston is 0-11 in one-run games, the only team in the majors yet to win a one-run decision. The Astros' last five losses have all been by one run.

Houston's Craig Biggio left after his right hand was spiked by second baseman Jose Vidro while stealing his eighth base of the season in the first.

"He basically came down, and I mean he did everything he could not to step on me," Biggio said. "It's just one of those freak things."

Moises Alou's RBI single gave the Astros a 1-0 lead in the first, but Bergeron's leadoff homer in the bottom half tied it. One out later, White doubled and, after Vladimir Guerrero grounded to short, Lee Stevens hit a two-out RBI double to put Montreal ahead 2-1.

The Expos scored four unearned runs off Elarton in the second. Orlando Cabrera reached as Russ Johnson, who pinch-ran for Biggio in the first and stayed in the game at second base, bobbled his grounder for an error.

"Russ feels bad about it," Elarton said. "I told him that when I stop making mistakes, I'll start getting mad at you for making errors. I made a whole lot more mistakes than he did tonight."

Cabrera stole second and, one out later, scored to make it 3-1 on Irabu's single to right. Bergeron's double advanced Irabu to third and Jose Vidro followed with a sacrifice fly to right. White hit the first of two straight RBI doubles and Guerrero hit a run-scoring single to increase Montreal's lead to 6-1.

Houston drew to 6-2 when Ken Caminiti led off the fourth with a towering shot to right for his ninth homer.

White's RBI double in the fourth chased Elarton, who allowed seven runs -- though just three earned -- in three-plus innings.

The Expos increased their lead to 8-2 on Bergeron's RBI single off reliever Mike Maddux in the fifth.

Houston's Mitch Meluskey had an RBI single in the sixth, Johnson hit a run-scoring single off reliever Felipe Lira in the seventh, and Bill Spiers hit his first homer of the year to lead off the ninth, bringing on Hermanson.

Game notes
Astros manager Larry Dierker is two wins away from his 300th career win. Dierker has a 298-228 mark since becoming Houston's manager following the 1996 season. ... The win gave the Expos their eighth series in their last 10. ... White is the second Expo with three doubles in a game this season. Vidro did it against Arizona on Wednesday. ... LHP Jim Poole and RHP Guillermo Mota both joined the Expos on Saturday. Poole, 33, was signed by Montreal as a free agent Friday after being released by Detroit two days earlier. Mota was recalled from Triple-A Ottawa when RHP Anthony Telford was placed on the 15-day DL Friday with tendinitis in his right shoulder. INF Trace Coquillette was optioned to Ottawa, and C Bob Henley was moved from the 15-day to 60-day disabled list to make room for Poole on the 40-man roster.