HOUSTON (REUTERS) — Lance Berkman insists there is no agreement between him and Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane.
But Berkman keeps hitting home runs, just in case.
Berkman tied a club record for homers at the start of a season with his third in three days, leading the Astros over the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 Thursday.
Berkman has connected in all three of the Astros’ games, repeating what Chris Truby did last year.
“Each game, [McLane] has said if I don’t hit a home run I have to get my hair cut,” Berkman said. “He thinks we have a deal, but I never agreed to it.”
Berkman, who has let his shaggy hair grow down over his neck in back, didn’t place much emphasis on the club record. He was surprised to learn the major-league record for home runs at the start of the season is four straight games, shared by Willie Mays (1971) and Mark McGwire (1998).
“You don’t really think about a record like that,” Berkman said. “All it means is I had three home runs in three games and we have 159 games to go. If this is all I do, it will be a terrible year.
“I won’t be thinking about the major-league record tomorrow, but it would be neat to tie, I guess.”
It wouldn’t surprise the Astros.
“I call him Cave Man because of the long hair, and he’s big and strong,” winning pitcher Shane Reynolds said. “He is such a great hitter. He could wake up and step out of bed and get a hit. He works at the game, but he absolutely loves it and he’s a great hitter.”
Manager Jimy Williams likes what he sees in Berkman.
“He’s really swinging the bat well,” Williams said. “He’s driving the ball and hitting with power. And hitting with men on base. He’s just a very good hitter.”
The Brewers are aware of Berkman, who drove in three runs as he went 2-for-4 to raise his average to .462.
“He should have been a lot more careful,” manager Davey Lopes said of pitcher Jamey Wright, tagged for Berkman’s homer in the fourth inning. “At 3-1, you can’t give that guy something to hit. You’ve got to make him chase a pitch up in the zone or in the dirt.
“You can’t throw him a strike there. It’s not embarrassing to pitch around the guy,” he said.
Wright realizes that now.
“I made a good 3-0 pitch to him,” Wright said. “I thought I made the right pitch on the changeup and left it up. You make a pitch like that, he’s not going to miss it.”
The game at Astros Field drew 21,528, the smallest crowd in three seasons at the park formerly called Enron Field. That broke the mark set Wednesday night when 23,381 fans showed up.
Reynolds (1-0) allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings.
Wright (0-1) went 4 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits and six walks. Wright remained winless for his career against the Astros. He is 0-6 with a 6.71 ERA in 10 starts against them.
Berkman’s RBI single started the scoring in the first inning. His two-run homer in the fourth gave Houston a 3-0 lead.
In the fifth, Morgan Ensberg singled and went to third on two passed balls by catcher Paul Bako. Reynolds’ squeeze bunt scored Ensberg for a 4-0 lead.
Richard Hidalgo added a two-run single in the sixth.
Alex Ochoa hit a two-run homer for the Brewers in the seventh. It was Ochoa’s second homer of the year.
