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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Scott Elarton finally feels like he is all the
way back from offseason shoulder surgery.
Elarton won his fifth straight start, and Craig Biggio and
Daryle Ward homered Sunday to lead the Houston Astros over the
Cleveland Indians 5-1.
"I felt great out there," Elarton said after throwing 134
pitches over eight innings. "I feel like I could go out and throw
a hundred more."
Houston won for just the seventh time in 23 games, and Elarton
(9-3) has five of the victories. He allowed one run -- a homer by
rookie Russell Branyan -- and six hits in eight innings, struck out
eight and walked four.
"I feel like I have turned the corner a little bit and put my
surgery behind me," Elarton said. "Earlier in the season, I was
trying to trick people. Now, I am back to being a fastball
pitcher."
Elarton has allowed six earned runs in his last 37 1/3 innings
(a 1.45 ERA).
Bartolo Colon (9-6) gave up five runs -- three earned -- seven
hits and five walks in 6 2/3 innings.
"When Bartolo pitches, I expect to win because he is that kind
of pitcher," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said. "He was
pitching good until that three-run seventh inning took us out of
the game."
Craig Biggio's opposite-field homer to right put Houston ahead
in the first, and the Astros made it 2-0 in the fifth on a bloop,
run-scoring single by Jeff Bagwell, a ball that center fielder
Kenny Lofton initially broke back on.
"It was a fastball, middle-away, and I just tried to put it in
play," Biggio said about his sixth homer, which landed in the
Astros' bullpen. "I just got lucky."
Branyan hit his 13th homer leading off the fifth to make it 2-1,
but Ward hit his 13th homer in a three-run seventh that also
included a two-run single by Moises Alou.
"Alou is having as good an RBI season as I've ever seen,"
Astros manager Larry Dierker said. "He's missed 30 games with
injuries and has 52 RBI. He's just been fabulous."
Game
notes
Elarton is 4-0 in his career and 3-0 this season in
interleague play. He is 20-9 overall in his career. ... Colon fell
to 7-2 against NL Central clubs. ... Indians second baseman Roberto
Alomar broke an 0-for-14 streak with an infield single in the
seventh. ... Long-time Cleveland sportswriter Hal Lebovitz, 83,
scheduled to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame next
Sunday, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... One year ago, the
Astros were 53-37 and leading the NL Central and Cleveland was
57-32, atop the AL Central.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Cleveland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 5
Montreal 2
Houston 5
Cleveland 1
Detroit 6
Cincinnati 2
NY Yankees 9
Philadelphia 8
Toronto 7
NY Mets 3
Atlanta 6
Tampa Bay 4
Baltimore 9
Florida 5
Chi. White Sox 11
Milwaukee 5
Minnesota 5
St. Louis 2
San Francisco 6
Texas 4
Seattle 6
Arizona 3
San Diego 6
Anaheim 5
Oakland 0
Colorado 0
Chicago Cubs 10
Kansas City 7
Los Angeles 7
Pittsburgh 3
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