Late-inning rally keys Nats' comeback
Vidro, Soriano combine for nine runs against the Astros

HOUSTON -- A six-run rally in the top of the seventh inning helped the Nationals defeat the Astros, 12-8, in front of 39,324 fans at Minute Maid Park on Saturday night.

Washington was down, 6-3, when they took the lead in the seventh off starter Roy Oswalt and reliever Chad Qualls. With the bases loaded, one out and Qualls on the mound, Marlon Byrd doubled to left-center field to drive in Royce Clayton and Marlon Anderson, and make it a 6-5 game. The runs were charged to Oswalt.

With runners on second and third, the next hitter, Jose Vidro, grounded out to second baseman Craig Biggio, but Jose Guillen scored on the play to tie the game at six.

After Nick Johnson walked to put runners on first and third, Alfonso Soriano doubled to left-center field to drive in Byrd and Johnson and give the Nationals an 8-6 lead. Soriano ended up driving in four runs in the game.

Soriano then came home on a Ryan Zimmerman base-hit.

After Astros outfielder Jason Lane made it a 9-7 game by hitting his first home run of the season in the bottom of the seventh inning, Nationals second baseman Vidro responded by hitting a three-run off Fernando Nieve in the top of the eighth inning. Vidro ended up with five RBIs in the game.

The winning pitcher was right-hander Livan Hernandez, who had one bad inning that almost proved to be costly. Houston scored five runs in the first inning, highlighted by a two-run home run by Lance Berkman.

Hernandez would settle down and give up one run in the next five innings.
ATLien
Soriano's a scrub
remember saying this he sure didnt look like a scrub tonight did he atlien