by John Grupp , Pittsburgh Tribune Review

One runner reached second base and nobody got any closer to home.

Indeed, it was a lonely afternoon for third base coach Tony Beasley. The bag could have been a 50,000-volt open power source, and the Pirates would have been out of harm's way.

Houston left-hander Wandy Rodriguez tossed a five-hitter and the Pirates fell to the Astros, 5-0, at Minute Maid Park.

"He was throwing strikes and getting ahead on the count all the time. He showed what he can do," said second baseman Ramon Vazquez, who went 1 for 3 with a walk and was the only Pirates player to reach base twice.

But the shutout loss is nothing new for the Pirates .

It was the 23rd time in 85 games they've scored one run or fewer. They have been victim to eight shutouts and 15 one-run games.

The Pirates have not scored three runs in each of three consecutive games during a span of 45 dating to May 19.

Manager John Russell said Rodriguez was the main culprit yesterday, as the Pirates were blanked for the second time in four days. Rodriguez (8-6), who threw the second complete game of his career, matched his career-high with 11 strikeouts and walked one.

"He did a great job," Russell said. "When you are locating your fastball and you've got a breaking ball to go with it, you are going to be tough on anybody."

Rodriguez, who threw a career-high 125 pitches, faced 31 batters, four above the minimum, thanks to a pair of double plays.

"I thought the fastball had a lot of life today," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "We started out throwing strike one quite a bit. When Wandy can throw strike one with his fastball, he could be a dominating kind of pitcher."

Charlie Morton (1-2), in his first start for the Pirates since tossing six scoreless innings against the Florida Marlins last week, struggled. The right-hander allowed five runs on 10 hits in four innings.

"I didn't put balls where I wanted them," he said. "That's just the way it goes. I've got to take the bad things that happen and learn from them."

Rodriguez entered the game with a 3-4 record and a 5.37 career ERA against the Pirates . He struck out six of the first 10 batters. The only other complete game for the 30-year-old left-hander came against the New York Mets on July 6, 2007.

"He threw the ball really well," Russell said. "His fastball was 91-93 (mph) and his breaking ball was 76-77. It's a big difference and it keeps you off-balance. He located his fastball really well, which really helped his breaking ball."

The Pirates , who haven't won a road series since May 18-21, had one runner in scoring position all game. The LaRoche brothers, Andy and Adam, hit consecutive one-out singles in the second. But Robinzon Diaz and Vazquez -- starting his sixth game in a row for injured Freddy Sanchez (back) -- struck out to end the inning.

Vazquez singled with two out in the fifth, but pinch-hitter Steve Pearce struck out on three pitches. Pearce, batting .083 (1 for 12), was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis after the game.

Garrett Jones singled in the seventh, but Andy LaRoche grounded into a double play. In the eighth, pinch-hitter Brandon Moss hit into an inning-ending double play.

The Astros scored two runs in the third and added three in the fourth for a 5-0 lead.

With one out in the third, Michael Bourn tripled to center. Miguel Tejada singled in Bourn for a 1-0 lead. Lance Berkman hit a 420-foot double, but Tejada was caught at the plate on shortstop Jack Wilson's relay throw. Carlos Lee doubled home Berkman for a 2-0 lead. Geoff Blum's 400-foot flyout to center ended the inning.

In the fourth, Bourn hit a run-scoring single, and Berkman blasted a two-run double for a 5-0 lead. The Astros started the big inning with a rare Pirates defensive breakdown, as Adam LaRoche failed to cover first base on Hunter Pence's routine grounder to Vazquez.

"It's on me," Adam LaRoche said. "I took a jab step and it was too late. Of course, it's going to lead to a few runs after that."

And, for a team like the Pirates , a few runs reflect a totally different value.

How they scored

??? Astros third (Charlie Morton pitching)

With one out, Michael Bourn tripled to center. Miguel Tejada singled to right, Bourn scored. Lance Berkman doubled to center, Tejada out at home, Berkman advanced to third on throw home. Carlos Lee doubled to right, Berkman scored. Astros 2, Pirates 0

??? Astros fourth (Morton pitching)

With one out, Kazuo Matsui reached on infield single. Humberto Quintero walked, Matsui to second. Wandy Rodriguez reached on fielder's choice to pitcher, Matsui to third, Quintero out at second. Bourn singled to center, Matsui scored, Rodriguez to second. Tejada singled to right, Rodriguez to third, Bourn to second. Berkman doubled to right, Rodriguez and Bourn scored. Astros 5, Pirates 0

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