Houston, TX (Best E Casino) - Hunter Pence's two solo home runs and Brandon Backe's performance on the hill allowed the Houston Astros to survive a late rally in a 4-3 conquest of the Philadelphia Phillies, in the second meeting of a four-game series.

Backe (4-5) lasted 7 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out six for Houston, which has won three of four. Jose Valverde, who was nearly knocked out of the game after a line drive caromed off his chest in the ninth inning, recorded his 15th save despite giving up two runs.

Lance Berkman added a triple and a run scored, while Carlos Lee and Michael Bourn plated a run apiece for the victors.

Phillies starter Adam Eaton (0-3) remains winless despite his fifth quality start of the season, as he allowed three runs on eight hits in his seven innings of work.

Pat Burrell was 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored, and Jimmy Rollins recorded three hits and knocked in a run as Philly snapped a three-game winning streak.

Burrell's solo shot in the second and Pence's leadoff homer in the fifth accounted for a 1-1 score before the home seventh.

Pence led of the seventh as well and was given the green light on a 3-0 count. The right fielder unloaded on Eaton's offering and sent it off the facade beyond the left field seats for the go-ahead run.

The Astros added one more in the frame when J.R. Towles recorded a one-out single and was bunted over into scoring position by Backe. Former Phillie Bourn slipped a bouncer past Ryan Howard at first, and Towles scored easily from second.

After Howard's inning-ending, bases loaded groundout in the visitor's eighth, the sizzling Berkman tripled down the right field line and Lee came through with a sacrifice fly to bring in an important insurance run.

The run proved pivotal, as Burrell -- who smacked a game-tying home run earlier in the season against Valverde and recorded a go-ahead pinch-hit homer in the series opener on Thursday -- led off the ninth with a single and moved to second on Bourn's fielding error in center.

Burrell scored on a scary play two batters later, as Pedro Feliz laced a come- backer that looked to glaze Valverde's chin before hitting his chest. The hard-nosed closer stayed in the game and struck out pinch-hitter Chris Coste after a Carlos Ruiz single.

With two outs and runners on first and second, Rollins lined a double down the right field line, but Pence cut off the bouncer before it hit the wall to maintain the one-run lead.

Valverde then got Shane Victorino to fly out to center to end the contest.

Game Notes

Backe came into the game 0-1 with a 10.29 earned run average in two career starts against the Phils...The Phillies are 10-7 over the previous 17 matchups with the Astros, with a 5-3 mark as the guest...In the third installment of the series, the Phillies will send Brett Myers (2-5) to the mound against Brian Moehler (1-1)...The Astros announced the club will retire Craig Biggio's number (7) on August 17...Houston is now a major-league best 15-6 in the month of May...Valverde had not allowed a run in his previous 18 appearances...Greg Dobbs, who had a pinch-hit double in the eighth inning, leads the majors with 11 pinch hits.