Rusch Labors but Leads Brewers, 8-1

Glendon Rusch pitched six shutout innings and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Houston Astros for the third consecutive time, 8-1, Wednesday night.

Eric Young hit Tim Redding’s first pitch 420 feet for his first home run this season, Jose Hernandez led off the sixth with his 13th and Richie Sexson led off the seventh with his 18th, a 425-foot shot.

Redding (3-4) gave up only two other hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six.

Young had a run-scoring triple in the seventh, his second this season, to put the Brewers ahead, 4-0.

Rusch (4-5) labored through his six innings, giving up five hits and walking four but repeatedly getting out of jams. He threw 71 of his 116 pitches in the first three innings, when he walked three and stranded six.

After a 1-2-3 fourth, Brian Hunter led off the fifth with a double but was trapped off the bag when Craig Biggio flied out weakly to first on a failed hit and run.

The Astros put runners at first and third with one out in the sixth, but Gregg Zaun fouled out and Julio Lugo looked at strike three.

The Brewers scored four times against Scott Linebrink in the eighth, including Robert Machado’s two-run double.