Isringhausen blows save in Cards' 3-2 loss

ST. LOUIS -- Carlos Lee's home run capped a three-run rally off Jason Isringhausen in the ninth inning, helping the Houston Astros beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory.

Miguel Tejada had an RBI triple and Lance Berkman's sacrifice fly for the second out tied it before Lee hammered a first-pitch fastball well over the left-field wall, a drive estimated at 396 feet, for his fifth homer. Isringhausen (1-2) has nine saves in 11 chances but has taken the loss in two of his last three outings.

Wesley Wright (3-0) had two strikeouts and a walk in the eighth. The Cardinals had a runner on third with one out in the bottom of the ninth before Jose Valverde finished for his fourth save in seven chances.

Braden Looper worked seven innings of two-hit ball for St. Louis. Houston's Shawn Chacon survived early wildness that led to both of the Cardinals' runs in the first, allowing one earned run on five hits in seven innings with a season-high six walks.

The winning streak is the Astros' longest since 2006, when they won nine straight. The start of the game was delayed for 2 hours by heavy rain and played in 54-degree chill.

Adam Kennedy's bases-loaded, two-out infield hit in the first combined with third baseman Geoff Blum's throwing error was the only play that created runs before the ninth. Albert Pujols had an infield hit and walked twice and has reached base in all 24 games for the Cardinals.

Looper retired 16 consecutive batters after allowing a one-out double to Darin Erstad in the first, with Kaz Matsui's two-out single in the sixth ending the run.

Chacon got himself in trouble in the first, walking three of the first four hitters. He retired Pujols, the No. 3 hitter, on a popup, and caught fifth-place hitter Troy Glaus on a called third strike before Kennedy's dribbler between third and short combined with third baseman Blum's wild, backhand toss gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

Blum had trouble getting the ball out of his glove after going to his left to field Kennedy's grounder, finally delivering a wild backhand toss in the general direction of second base that ended up in short-center field. The Cardinals missed a chance for more in the second, loading the bases on two hits and a walk before Glaus struck out again. Glaus left the game after the at-bat, complaining of watery eyes and blurred vision.

The Cardinals avoided injury in the first when left fielder Chris Duncan nearly ran over center fielder Rick Ankiel when both converged on Berkman's short pop fly. Duncan made the catch for the third out.