Baseball: Astros within sight of World Series

HOUSTON - The Houston Astros received a strong pitching performance from Brandon Backe and enough offence to edge the St Louis Cardinals 2-1 yesterday to move within one victory of their first World Series baseball appearance.

The Astros now have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series and can close out the Cardinals at Houston's Minute Maid Park in game five today.

The game was tied 1-1 when pinch runner Willy Taveras scored the winning run on Morgan Ensberg's sacrifice fly to centre in the seventh inning.

The Astros had only six hits in the contest but one was a solo home run by Jason Lane which tied the game in the fourth after St Louis had notched its only run on a sacrifice fly in the top half of the inning.

Backe gave up one run and two hits and struck out seven batters in 5 2/3 innings before the Houston bullpen shut out St Louis on three hits the rest of the way.

The winner of the National League plays the Chicago White Sox in the World Series, after Chicago beat the Los Angeles Angels, winning the American League championship series 4-1.

- REUTERS