Williams gets Astros a 1-0 win over Pirates

Woody Williams threw eight shutout innings and the Houston Astros made several outstanding plays to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1-0, Sunday.

“We scored six runs in this [three-game] series and won two games,” Manager Phil Garner said. “Sometimes this game baffles you, but we’ll take it.”

Luke Scott, who went into the game after star rookie center fielder Hunter Pence sprained his right wrist while batting in the fourth inning, drove in the run with a two-out single in the sixth.

The Pirates managed only five hits against the 40-year-old Williams (5-11), who struck out three in eight innings. Brad Lidge struck out the side in the ninth inning for his third save.

“We had no opportunities to score,” said Jim Tracy, 108-151 in his two seasons as manager of the Pirates, who lost for the eighth time in nine games since the All-Star break, a stretch during which they have been held to three runs or fewer six times.

“I felt comfortable today, not to take anything away from their lineup,” Williams said. “My curveball was very good and it kept me in the counts where I needed to be to control them.”

Pence had a single in the first inning that raised his average to .330. He clutched his right wrist in pain after popping up in the fourth inning. X-rays were negative. Pence apparently was injured while running the bases in the first.

“He doesn’t feel like it’s very severe at all,” Garner said.

The Astros had lost 25 of their previous 32 road games and hadn’t won a road series since June 8-10 against the Chicago White Sox.