Astros Send Cubs Packing

Greg Maddux grimaced as he watched yet another of his pitches land in the outfield seats.

Maybe the Houston Astros weren’t in a slump after all.

Jeff Bagwell, Jeff Kent and Lance Berkman each homered off Maddux, and the Astros overcame the early loss of Andy Pettitte to complete a two-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs with a 7-3 victory Wednesday night.

The Cubs, who lost 5-0 on Tuesday, were swept for the first time this season, and it was the first time the Astros did it against their National League Central rivals since May 2001.

“I think I pitched [terrible],” Maddux said. “I made some mistakes and they took advantage of it.”

Pettitte left in the fourth inning with discomfort in his left forearm, and the team said he was day-to-day.

Pettitte also hurt himself in his debut with the Astros on April 6 and sat out the next three weeks because of a strained left elbow.

After Wednesday’s game, Pettitte said the pain in his forearm had subsided, but he wasn’t sure exactly what was wrong.

“We’re just two months into the season and it already seems like the longest season of my life,” Pettitte said.

“I’m frustrated. It’s aggravating and disappointing.”

Imagine how the Cubs must feel. They came into Houston facing a team mired in a five-game losing streak. They left with two lopsided losses and fell from second to third place.

“We just have to go back to the drawing board and come up with something different,” Cub Manager Dusty Baker said.

Maddux (3-4) failed to last at least six innings for only the second time this season, giving up five runs and nine hits.

Bagwell got Maddux off to a rough start by singling in Craig Biggio in the first, then hitting a two-run shot deep into the left-field seats for a 3-0 lead. Kent followed with a towering homer to nearly the same spot, sending the sellout crowd of 40,977 into a frenzy.

In the fifth, Berkman sent a fastball from Maddux off the right-field pole for a 5-0 lead.