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HOUSTON (AP) -- Roy Oswalt doesn't have an explanation for his domination of the Cincinnati Reds. He just wants to keep it going.

Elias Says
Oswalt Roy Oswalt has now won 16 of his 20 career starts against the Reds. The only other active pitcher who won at least 16 of his first 20 starts against any team is Mike Mussina, who won 17 of his first 20 against the Twins. • For more Elias Says, click here

Oswalt pitched 6 2/3 innings in another strong performance against Cincinnati, leading the Houston Astros to a 5-3 win Monday night.

Oswalt (14-8) allowed two runs and eight hits to improve his career record to 17-1 when facing the Reds. He struck out eight and didn't walk a batter before departing with muscle spasms in his neck.

Oswalt was 15-0 against Cincinnati until April 28, the longest streak without a loss for one pitcher against one team in major league history. He lost that day but started another streak against the Reds with a win at Cincinnati on Aug. 23.

"I don't try to figure it out," Oswalt said. "It's not like it's the same players. They've changed almost all the players since I've been here. They're a whole different team so I don't know.

"Hopefully, they don't turn the tables and win 17 in a row over me."

The Astros kept their fleeting wild card hopes alive as they crept to within six games of the lead pending the outcome of the Dodgers-Padres game later. The Reds slipped to 5½ games back in the wild-card race.

Oswalt, who is 5-0 with a no-decision in his last six starts, had just given up a pinch-hit home run to Ray Olmedo and a single to Ryan Freel in the seventh when he called team officials to the mound before leaving the game.

"It's no big deal," Oswalt said of the injury. "I got a little too far out on a curveball in the third inning when it first happened. I felt better and better after that, but in the sixth I threw another curve and it tightened up again. I don't think I'll miss any time with it."

Manager Phil Garner is glad to hear that.

"He's one of those rare pitchers," Garner said. "We're blessed with a couple of them. Every time they go out, they have good stuff."

Shortstop Adam Everett saved a run for Oswalt in the second inning. Chris Denorfia hit a sharp grounder up the middle with runners on first and third. Everett made a spectacular horizontal dive to grab the ball and flipped it from his glove to second baseman Craig Biggio to start an inning-ending double play.

"That turned the game around," Garner said. "It turned the momentum our way."

Reds manager Jerry Narron also pointed to Everett's big play.

"We had some guys swinging the bats well," Narron said. "Roy Oswalt's as good as there is but we got some pretty good swings at him. If Dino's ball goes through the outfield, we score early off him.

"Dino hits a rocket for a double play and [Brad] Ausmus hits a blooper for a hit, but that's just baseball. That's part of it."

In the bottom half, the Astros loaded the bases and Ausmus hit a two-run single to center. After Oswalt sacrificed the runners over, Biggio and Mike Lamb hit back-to-back, run-scoring singles to make it 4-0.

Dan Wheeler allowed pinch-hitter Todd Hollandsworth's solo homer in the ninth before finishing for his sixth save in eight chances.

Kyle Lohse (2-4) went six innings for the Reds and allowed four runs and six hits with three walks. Cincinnati is 2-7 in Lohse's nine starts with the team.

"I lost my command for a couple of hitters there in a row," Lohse said. "After that I felt I came back and it's just one of those things you wished hadn't happened. I felt like I kept us in the game after that.

"It's tough when you're going up against a guy like Oswalt."

Adam Dunn and Rich Aurilia had consecutive doubles in the sixth inning to get Cincinnati's first run.

Freel dove for Luke Scott's hit into center field in the seventh and missed it, giving Scott a run-scoring triple and a 5-2 lead.

Game Notes
Oswalt recorded his 1,000th career strikeout when he fanned Lohse in the third inning. ... Dunn's first-inning double ended an 0-for-15 streak, his longest without a hit this season. ... Freel attempted to get his career-high 38th steal of the season in the seventh, but was thrown out by Ausmus to end the inning. ... Olmedo's homer was his first of the season.