HOUSTON - Yovani Gallardo dominated Houston for the second time in two weeks and Corey Hart hit a two-run double, helping the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Astros 6-0 Monday night.
Gallardo (9-4) allowed seven hits and struck out five in a season-high eight innings to win his fourth consecutive start. He hasn't allowed a run in 21 innings, a streak that began when he threw seven shutout innings against the Astros in Milwaukee's 14-2 victory on Sept. 5.
Prince Fielder singled to extend his hitting streak to 15 games and Kevin Mench homered in the ninth off Mark McLemore for Milwaukee, which was one game back of NL Central-leading Chicago entering play.
Rookie Josh Anderson had two hits for the Astros, who've lost nine of their last 12 games. Houston was shut out for the seventh time.
Milwaukee jumped in front in the first. Rickie Weeks led off the game with a walk, stole second and took third when Humberto Quintero's throw skipped into center field for an error. Joe Dillon then grounded to shortstop Mark Loretta, who threw home to get Weeks for the first out.
Matt Albers (4-9) hit Ryan Braun with a pitch before Hart lined a two-run double into the gap in left-center.
Fielder led off the fourth with a single to left and went to third on Hart's single to right. Fielder trotted home when Hunter Pence's throw bounced past third baseman Ty Wigginton. Pence was charged with an error.
Gabe Gross then doubled over Pence's head to score Hart and make it 4-0. Gross went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Johnny Estrada's flyout.
J.J. Hardy singled and Houston manager Cecil Cooper replaced Albers with Dave Borkowski.
Gallardo, meanwhile, breezed through the first four innings, allowing two harmless singles by Anderson and Quintero. The Astros put two runners aboard with two outs in the fifth and sixth, but Gallardo retired the next batter each time.
Gallardo needed only six pitches to glide through the seventh, finishing the inning by striking out Anderson.
Lance Berkman walked with one out in the Astros' eighth and went to third on Carlos Lee's single to center. Gallardo then struck out Pence and got Loretta on a groundout.
Mench pinch-hit for Gallardo in the ninth and homered off the brick facade in left field. Mench's eighth homer of the season was the first of his career as a pinch hitter. He was 4-for-45 as a pinch hitter before the homer.
Chris Spurling retired the Astros in order in the bottom half to complete the seven-hitter.
Notes:@ Fielder scored his 100th run and became the fifth player in Brewers' history to reach 100 RBIs and 100 runs in the same season. Cooper is one of the other four. ... Anderson reached base in nine consecutive plate appearances before striking out in the seventh. ... The Brewers have hit 209 homers this season, tied for second-most in franchise history. The Brewers hit 216 homers in 1982.
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