Halsey Denies Clemens His 332nd Victory
By JOEL ANDERSON
AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) -- For an inning, Roger Clemens looked his age. Rookie Brad Halsey, meanwhile, pitched with the poise of a seasoned veteran. Halsey came away with the win in this seemingly lopsided matchup of hometown hurlers, outpitching Clemens in a successful homecoming.

Luis Gonzalez hit a three-run homer to back Halsey and lead the Diamondbacks to a 6-1 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday night.

"It's a great feeling to pitch here and get the win," said the 24-year-old Halsey, who set aside a dozen tickets for family members and friends. "I was an Astros fan growing up. They were my team. Obviously, I'm a D-backs fan first now."

Halsey (3-2) had the best start of his young career, allowing just one run in seven innings.

Three Arizona relievers worked in and out of trouble to protect a 3-1 lead in the eighth, then Gonzalez gave the Diamondbacks some cushion in the ninth with his sixth homer.

Jose Valverde got the final four outs for his first save as Arizona goes with a bullpen by committee with closer Brandon Lyon on the DL.

In the only other National League games, it was: Washington 3, Milwaukee 2; Philadelphia 7, St. Louis 4; and Colorado 3, San Francisco 1.

Arizona took a 3-0 lead on three hits in the first inning against the 42-year-old Clemens, with the aid of some shaky defense.
"I knew I wasn't going anywhere, and I just stayed out there and grinded," Clemens said. "My body is going through a little lull now."

Clemens recovered, not allowing another hit after Troy Glaus' RBI double off the left-field wall in the first. The Rocket gave up two earned runs with a season-low three strikeouts and two walks in six innings, and remained at 331 career victories.

Halsey and Clemens, both former University of Texas stars, met once before at an alumni game in Austin a couple years ago. Clemens remembered virtually nothing of the meeting, and Halsey - true to his low-key personality - had little to say about it and, apparently, during it.

"We really didn't speak as I recall," Halsey said. "We didn't have much conversation."

But Halsey's performance against one of his childhood idols and Houston baseball icon made enough of a statement.

He retired the first 10 batters before Jose Vizcaino doubled to left in the fourth inning. Craig Biggio followed with a single, but Lance Berkman grounded into a double play to end the threat.

"He was throwing pretty good," Biggio said. "His pitches were all good, and this is the first time we've seen him."

Halsey found himself in a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, but the Astros scored only on Jason Lane's RBI grounder to shortstop. He allowed six hits with no strikeouts or walks, bouncing back nicely after losing his last two starts.

"From the outside, it looks like nothing bothers him," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "For a young kid who looks like he's 15 and doesn't show any outward emotion, that was an impressive game."

Clemens (3-2) was doomed again by Houston's punchless offense and season-high five errors, the club's most in more than nine years. He entered Thursday's game with a major league-leading ERA of 1.11.

The Astros have scored just 16 runs in his nine starts this season.