SAN DIEGO -- It's a well-known fact by now that it's not easy to hit one out at the San Diego Padres' sparkling downtown ballpark.

The Houston Astros were reminded of this several times during their 6-2 win Monday night, but after several would-be moon shots were run down at the warning track, Lance Berkman finally got ahold of one that sailed to the bleacher seating past right-center. The estimated distance was 401 feet, but the ball probably would have left the property lines in many other ballparks.

That homer, off Rudy Seanez in the seventh frame, gave the Astros a three-run cushion in what was an otherwise tight contest between two good starting pitchers.

Berkman succeeded where several teammates had fallen short. Craig Biggio hit what looked like a sure homer in the seventh, only to watch Ryan Klesko catch it at the wall. Others watched their well-hit balls turn into extra-base hits -- Jason Lane's blast to center in the fourth, for example, resulted in his fourth triple of the year.

"We hit some balls good tonight," manager Phil Garner said. "They hit some good, too, but we hit some that looked like they went a little bit farther. The ball that Lane hit, I thought might have a chance to get on the wall out there and it didn't even come close. You've got to blast them here, I see what they're talking about."

"We only have to play here three games," Berkman said. "So you come in here and do the best you can. It's definitely a pitchers' park, and I guess you are aware of that, but you can't let that influence the way you hit or anything. You just have to go up there and do the best you can."

The beneficiaries of the far fences, of course, were Houston right-hander Roy Oswalt and Padres righty Woody Williams, one of the Astros' toughest opponents during his 3 1/2-year tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Padres took a 2-0 lead off Oswalt in the third frame, behind RBI singles by Brian Giles and Mark Loretta. The Astros responded with three in the fourth off Williams, who yielded Lane's triple and an RBI double to Chris Burke.

Adam Everett drove in Burke with a single that bounced off the glove of a diving Xavier Nady, and Brad Ausmus, who knocked a single to left and moved to second on Oswalt's fielder's choice bunt, scored on Willy Taveras' base hit to shallow center.

Oswalt's pitch count climbed to 113 during a 25-pitch sixth frame that ended in his favor, despite a few dicey moments. He yielded a leadoff single to Giles and walked Loretta, and needed 11 pitches to retire Nady. The San Diego first baseman worked the count to 3-2 before fouling off four pitches, all fastballs.

Oswalt then turned to his best pitch, the curveball, and Nady watched strike three whiz by him without a swing.

"With no outs right there, I was looking for either a strikeout or getting a double play," Oswalt said. "[On] 3-2, I threw him a few fastballs inside that he fouled off ... pretty good pitches. I knew if I got a curveball over, if I started it high enough, he would give up on it and I was able to drop it in there for a strike."

"That was big, because we thought we had him out a couple of times," Garner said. "When you think you have him out, and they keep slipping through there, then you think, 'Oh, my goodness. It's going to come back to bite you.' What could have been a disaster turned the inning into saving the game for us."

The win was Oswalt's first since July 26. Since then, he had three losses and one no-decision.

"I don't think he'd tell you this was his best night locating his pitches, but he still had such good stuff that he could get away [with] missing his spots a little bit," Garner said. "He gives up two runs, but what was important was we came back and put some runs on the board.

"What could have been a disaster, he stopped it. He battled. He gives up a hit, walks a guy and it doesn't look so good, and he battled to get out of the inning."

Said Oswalt: "The last three starts, I've been grinding through. When you get three runs, it gives you another breath to go back out there. It's getting late in the season, and usually I pick up in the second half. I've been fighting my mechanics in the last three starts. But I felt pretty well today as far as location."

Berkman drove in the final run with an RBI double in the ninth, but it was his execution of the final out of the Padres' eighth that will likely make the highlight reels.

Damian Jackson sent a hard liner that richocheted off Berkman's left ankle, which knocked Berkman off his feet. Meanwhile, to his surprise, the ball bounced to Biggio, who made the throw to first while Berkman was still sitting on the ground. Berkman caught the ball, scooted to first and slapped his hand on the base just in time to get the out.

"I had no idea where the ball was," Berkman said. "I thought it went in the outfield or went into foul territory, and the next thing I know, [Biggio has] come up with it. It worked out nice."

"Biggio said it's the shortest first baseman he's every thrown a ball to," Garner joked.

Mike Lamb was inserted at first in the bottom of the ninth, but Berkman was not injured on the play, as evidenced by his RBI double in the top of that frame.

"I was fine," Berkman said. "I ran around the bases. I frolicked like a newborn lamb."