Ensberg Powers Astros

Clapping his hands as he rounded the bases in a slow trot, Morgan Ensberg felt the weight of three frustrating months quickly fade away.

Ensberg had just hit a two-run, eighth-inning homer, his first of the season, to lead the Houston Astros over the American League West-leading Texas Rangers, 7-5, Friday night. Whatever anger, exasperation or other emotions he’d felt during those months didn’t matter anymore.

The home run ended the longest drought of his career and could have been the kind of spark the struggling Astros needed.

“I felt like I got a 400-pound gorilla off my back,” said Ensberg, who went two for four with three runs batted in. “But also I was happy about the timing. It was a combination of everything.”

Carlos Beltran had an RBI in his home debut for Houston, and Roy Oswalt earned his 50th career win. Lance Berkman singled in a run and snatched away Alfonso Soriano’s bid for a homer in the fourth with a terrific leaping catch.

Ensberg’s shot to left off Carlos Almanzar (6-1) was his first home run since Sept. 27. It ended a curious drought for a player who set an Astro record for third basemen with 25 home runs last season.

Texas’ David Dellucci hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth to tie the score at 5-5.

Ensberg responded with his first home run in 213 at-bats, and Brad Lidge pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save in seven chances.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Astro Manager Jimy Williams said.

Houston won without much help from its new star center fielder, Beltran, who carried the team offensively during a six-game trip to Texas and Chicago.

Beltran, acquired from Kansas City last week, got a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 41,897 before his first at-bat.

He drove in the Astros’ first run on a first-inning groundout, but his career-high 15-game hitting streak came to an end. Beltran went 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Oswalt (7-6) did enough to win his third consecutive start but looked nothing like the pitcher who threw eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over the Rangers on Sunday. He gave up five runs and eight hits.