Astros 3, Cardinals 0

HOUSTON (AP) — In a series ruled by sluggers, it was hard to imagine Brandon Backe and Woody Williams would slow them down. They did more than that, hooking up in one of the greatest October duels ever.

Only when Backe and Williams left Game 5 of the NL championship series did hitters have any chance. Jeff Kent was fine with that — his three-run homer in the ninth inning sent the Houston Astros over St. Louis 3-0 Monday night for a 3-2 edge.

Boosted by a talk with Roger Clemens, Backe dominated for eight innings while Williams went seven. Both teams had a mere single until Houston came to bat in the bottom of the ninth.

”He was on tonight, just like I was,” Backe said. ”When you feel as good as I did out there and felt in the rhythm that I was in, you just feel like nobody can hit you.”

The Astros moved within one win of their first World Series, winning a game that had just four hits — the fewest in postseason history.

”We've been struggling to get offense all day, both teams,” Kent said. ”Both teams know how to hit, the pitching just shut us down all day long. To finally come up with a hit is big.”

The teams combined for 19 home runs in the first four games, yet neither had a runner get past second base until the end. Astros center fielder Carlos Beltran had a lot to do with that — his postseason-record streak of five straight games with a home run ended, but he made two terrific catches.

”It was really a well-played game, well-pitched game,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. ”Brutal ending.”

Beltran — who else? — led off the ninth with a single against Jason Isringhausen. After an intentional walk to Lance Berkman with one out, Kent hammered a ball off the limestone facade in left field.

Kent flipped his bat after he connected, tossed off his helmet as he headed home and said, ”One more, one more.”

The Astros won their third in a row, and will look to close the series in Game 6 Wednesday in St. Louis. Matt Morris will start for the Cardinals and Houston manager Phil Garner will make his choice Tuesday — it could be Clemens, pitching on three days' rest.

Too bad a lot of people might have missed it. Most baseball fans in the country got the Yankees-Boston game in the ALCS, and surely some people in St. Louis watched the Rams-Tampa Bay NFL matchup.

Before this night, the postseason record for fewest total hits was five, done three times in the World Series, including Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956.

Clemens talked to Backe earlier in the series.

”I have a lot of energy and it's obvious to everybody, but he basically just told me to channel it towards the catcher and what I'm supposed to be doing out there,” he said.

Backe, who started the season in the minors and went 5-3 in the majors, gave up a two-out single to Tony Womack in the sixth. Brad Lidge pitched a perfect ninth in the combined one-hitter.

”I just got into a rhythm, a groove,” Backe said. ”I had really good command.”

Williams allowed Jeff Bagwell's single in the first and nothing more. Both starters struck out four and walked two in a rematch of Game 1, won by Williams.

”I just know I put up seven zeros, but I got outmatched,” Williams said.

Lidge pitched for the third straight day, adding a win to his two saves in the series. Isringhausen relieved in the eighth, and wound up with the loss.

”I knew it was out when it left the bat,” Isringhausen said.

Beltran's record streak of homering in five straight postseason games ended, though he gave it a ride in his first at-bat.

The Astros won for the 22nd time in their last 23 home games. Fans simply didn't want to leave Minute Maid Park at the end, hanging around inside to celebrate.

While pitching dominated, Beltran provided the highlights until Kent's third homer of the NLCS.

The All-Star and soon-to-be-free agent made the play of the game in the seventh, racing into the left-center alley for a diving, backhanded catch to rob Edgar Renteria. Beltran casually trotted to the dugout and flipped the ball into the seats.

In the eighth, Beltran ran back and halfway up the quirky hill in dead center to haul in Reggie Sanders' shot in front of the in-play flag pole, about 420 feet from the plate.

About the only thing Beltran did not do was hit another home run. He made a bid for it, hitting a long fly ball to left that Sanders caught on the warning track.

Backe, a former schoolboy football star in Texas and an outfielder in the Tampa Bay system, set down the first 13 batters before walking Jim Edmonds in the fifth.

With two on in the sixth, Backe retired Albert Pujols on a popup to escape his lone jam. That out brought a roar from the crowd and his father, Harold, was so fired up he charged over from his seat and gave a loud high-five to the ballpark public-address announcer.

”It was a strong, almost miracle performance from a guy who was born to do this,” his dad said.