HOUSTON (AP) -Ty Wigginton homered twice off Aaron Harang, Brandon Backe was sharp into the seventh and the Houston Astros beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 on Thursday.
Humberto Quintero added a solo shot to help the Astros beat the Reds for the 10th time in 12 meetings this season.
Backe (9-12) had one of his best outings of an inconsistent month, allowing six hits and striking out six in 6 2-3 innings. He was 2-2 in his previous four decisions, allowing 11 runs in each of the losses and a total of four runs in the two wins.
Backe didn't allow a run until Jay Bruce hit an RBI triple with two outs in the seventh. Corey Patterson added an RBI single before Backe was relieved by Doug Brocail, who got the final out of the inning.
LaTroy Hawkins pitched a scoreless eighth and Jose Valverde struck out the side in the ninth for his 35th save.
Harang (4-14) matched a season high with nine strikeouts, but lost for the fifth time in six decisions. His 29 homers allowed are the most by a Reds' pitcher this season.
Backe is 4-0 in his last six starts against the Reds. He's struggled in first innings all season, but breezed through this one in seven pitches.
In the bottom half, Wigginton lined Harang's fifth pitch into the left-field seats, his second homer in two at_bats. Wigginton hit a two-run shot in the seventh inning of Tuesday's 4-1 win.
Backe needed only 41 pitches to hold the Reds scoreless through four innings. In the fifth, third baseman Geoff Blum made a diving stop on Adam Rosales' grounder and Backe pumped his fist after Blum threw to first for the second out. Backe struck out Patterson to end another easy inning.
Quintero, Houston's catcher, hit a solo homer off the left-field foul pole in the Astros' fifth. It was only Quintero's second homer since he was called up from the minors on June 6.
Backe struck out the first two batters he faced in the sixth. Chris Dickerson singled up the middle, but Quintero picked off Dickerson with a quick throw to Lance Berkman.
Wigginton led off the Astros sixth with another solo homer, this time off the facade in left center. Wigginton has 19 homers this season and leads the NL with 10 homers this month. He recorded his first multihomer game since last Sept. 15.
Brandon Phillips beat out an infield grounder with two outs in the seventh and Bruce snapped out of an 1-for-15 slump with a triple to left. Backe then walked Rosales, prompting a mound visit from Astros pitching coach Dewey Robinson.
Patterson blooped a single to left and Houston manager Cecil Cooper brought in Brocail. Ryan Hanigan grounded into a fielder's choice on Brocail's first pitch.
Notes: Harang has lost his last two decisions against Houston after winning the previous six. ... Wigginton has seven multihomer games in his career. ... The Reds sent RHP Jared Burton to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday to begin a rehab assignment. Burton has been on the disabled list since July 11 with a strained right latissimus muscle.
