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Backe gives Astros needed spark

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  • JOSEPH WHITE - AP Sports Writer
  • Originally published July 13, 2008 at 11:33 p.m., updated July 13, 2008 at 11:33 p.m.

WASHINGTON – Brandon Backe loves to bat, slide and play the field. All things being equal, he’d rather be an everyday player than a pitcher.

On Sunday, he was about as close to Mr. Everything as he’s ever going to get. He pitched seven-plus innings, went 2-for-3 with a double and scored twice in the Houston Astros’ 5-0 victory over the notoriously shutout-prone Washington Nationals.

“I would just love be able to be the everyday player – diving catches, running into the wall, getting dirty,” Backe said. “I’m just sad I didn’t get to slide today.”

Backe raised his batting average to .345 while lowering his ERA to 4.76. He was so effective at the plate that other players were laying down sacrifice bunts to move their pitcher along. About the only thing he didn’t do was execute a squeeze play in the fourth inning, instead fouling the pitch off.

“We feel like we’re playing with nine instead of eight,” outfielder Carlos Lee said. “Backe’s a good hitter.”

Ty Wigginton added his eighth homer of the season and Lee had three RBIs for the Astros, who took two of three from the Nationals and finished 4-5 on their road trip leading into the All-Star break.

But back to Backe (6-9), who apparently hasn’t heard that pitchers aren’t supposed to spend a ton of time on the basepaths on a hot summer day. He supplemented his first multihit game of the year with his best game to date on the mound, allowing only five hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

“Brandon Backe, Brandon Backe, Brandon Backe, Brandon Backe, that was what we got today,” manager Cecil Cooper said. “Two-for-3. Scored a couple of runs. Seven shutout innings. What could you say? He threw over 100 pitches. I thought he was really, really good. That’s the Brandon Backe we like.”



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