In rare start, Moehler pitches Astros past Dodgers 7-1

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Chin-lung Hu, left, of Taiwan can't hold on the the throw from home as Houston Astros Michael Bourn steals second during the third inning of their Major League Baseball game, Friday, May 9, 2008, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES—Brian Moehler pitched five scoreless innings and Lance Berkman went 3-for-4 with a home run in a 7-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

The 36-year-old Moehler (1-0), filling in for the injured Wandy Rodriguez, allowed five hits and a walk while striking out five. He has spent the majority of his big league career as a starter, though has been used exclusively in relief since rejoining the club in January 2007.

Derek Lowe (2-3) gave up six runs and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings with five strikeouts and two walks. The right-hander has not recorded an out in the sixth inning in any of his last five starts.

Berkman, who doubled and scored in the first, made it 6-0 in the fifth with his 12th homer, a two-run shot to right off Lowe. The Astros' switch-hitting first baseman has six straight multihit games, and has hits in 16 of his last 20 at-bats.

Michael Bourn led off the third inning with an infield hit, winning a footrace with Lowe to the bag after first baseman James Loney fielded the ground ball. Bourn then stole his major league-leading 16th base in 16 tries and scored on a double by Kaz Matsui, who came home on Carlos Lee's sacrifice fly.

Tejada hit a ninth-inning double against Scott Proctor.

Los Angeles has been outscored 19-2 over its last two games after winning 10 of the previous 11.

Dodgers reliever Yhency Brazoban, who was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday to replace right-hander Esteban Loaiza on the active roster, pitched one inning and escaped a bases-loaded jam by starting a 1-2-3 double-play against reliever Geoff Geary. It was Brazoban's first big league appearance since May 31, 2007. He underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on June 22.

Rodriguez is scheduled to have another bullpen session on Monday. It will be followed by a couple of simulated games during the Astros' 10-game road trip, before the left-hander begins a minor league rehab assignment if there are no complications from the strained groin that landed him on the disabled list April 20.

Notes:@ Astros manager Cecil Cooper and Dodgers manager Joe Torre spent one spring training as teammates, in 1971 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Cooper was cut on the last day of camp, and Torre went on to win his only NL MVP award. But Cooper holds one thing over Torre's head: His .298 career batting average is tops among current big league managers -- one percentage point higher than Torre's. ... Loaiza was placed on the 15-day DL on Wednesday, retroactive to May 4, because of tightness in his shoulder blade.