Oswalt, Astros dominate Dodgers

Roy Oswalt made the most of his six days off between starts — and a lot of early run support.

Oswalt continued his dominance over NL West teams with a four-hitter in his first outing after the All-Star break, leading the Houston Astros to an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. Batterymate Ivan Rodriguez homered among his four hits and Miguel Tejada also connected.

First baseman Lance Berkman, who leads Houston with 18 homers, didn't start because of a mild strain of his left calf. But the Astros staked Oswalt to an early 7-0 lead and won for the seventh time in their last nine games at Dodger Stadium.