He’s Berry Good in Late Innings

HOUSTON — Sean Berry missed a Dan Miceli pitch by at least six inches, prompting Houston Manager Larry Dierker to speak to coach Matt Galante.

“I hope he gets a hit pretty soon. We really need him to get going again,” Dierker said he remembered saying.

Then Berry connected for a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning, leading Houston over the San Diego Padres, 4-3, Saturday night.

“No sooner had the words left my mouth, and he hits it out of the ballpark,” Dierker said. “These late-inning home runs are pretty dramatic.”

Berry has won three games this season with home runs in Houston’s final at-bat.

“It’s the kind of situation you dream about,” he said. “After the first two pitches, I quit trying to kill the ball and held my hands back. I haven’t been hitting the ball that well lately, and I was just trying to hit it hard. I just told myself I didn’t have to hit it out of the Dome, just to the flowers” above the outfield fence.

With Houston trailing, 3-2, Miceli (4-2) walked Derek Bell, and Berry broke a 0-for-9 slide by connecting on a 0-2 pitch for his fifth homer of the season.

“I was trying to get it down and in, but I got it up,” Miceli said. “I’ll just have to put this behind me and move on.”

Berry’s homer was Houston’s only hit after the fourth inning.

“Other than that one mistake, the bullpen did a great job,” San Diego Manager Bruce Bochy said. “That one mistake was the difference in the ballgame.”

NEXT SERIES FOR DODGERS

WHO: Houston Astros

WHERE: at Houston

WHEN: Monday, 1 p.m.; Tuesday, 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 5 p.m.