Astros Overcome Major Blunder

With one absent-minded flip of the ball into the stands Tuesday night, Houston right fielder Jason Lane secured his spot in blooper reels, but the Astros rallied after the embarrassing blunder and defeated Colorado, 6-5, at Houston.

Lane cost Houston a run in the sixth with an almost-comical attention lapse.

With runners on second and third, Colorado’s Garrett Atkins drove in Helton with a sacrifice fly to right. But after making the catch, Lane turned and flipped the ball into the stands, apparently thinking the inning was over.

Preston Wilson took the opportunity to score on Lane’s gaffe, giving the Rockies a 4-2 lead. As Wilson crossed home plate, Lane put his hands on his head and stood with his mouth agape.

Lane, however, was hardly in a laughing mood, especially after being the subject of boos for the final three innings.

“It’s hard for me to find humor in this right now, because I take pride in my defense,” Lane said. “I’m mad at myself. It’s frustrating and embarrassing.”

Lance Berkman hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to help the Astros rally.

Arizona 6, San Francisco 4 -- Chad Tracy hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth, and the Diamondbacks ended a five-game skid with a victory at San Francisco.

Atlanta 5, Florida 0 -- John Smoltz (7-5) pitched his first shutout in six years, and Andruw Jones hit his 20th homer -- a two-run shot -- for the Braves at Atlanta. Smoltz struck out Matt Treanor in the seventh inning to pass Jack Morris for 28th place on the career strikeout list with 2,479.

Chicago 4, Milwaukee 2 -- Jerome Williams (1-2), in his first start since being acquired from San Francisco on May 28, gave up two runs and three hits in seven innings at Milwaukee, and Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez homered to power the Cubs to victory.

Cincinnati 11, St. Louis 4 -- Javier Valentin had a three-run homer and drove in four runs at Cincinnati to help the Reds win in Jerry Narron’s debut as interim manager.

Pittsburgh 11, Washington 4 -- Matt Lawton homered and drove in five runs, and the Pirates won for only the second time in nine games at Pittsburgh. The Nationals lost for only the fifth time in 22 games.

New York 8, Philadelphia 5 -- Doug Mientkiewicz and Brian Daubach homered at Philadelphia, and the Mets handed the Phillies their fifth loss in seven games.