Everett Sparkles In Astros Win

April 25, 1998 / 3:43 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Moises Alou is the latest former Expo to shine in Montreal.

Alou homered and drove in five runs, and Carl Everett homered from both sides of the plate Friday night to lead the Houston Astros over the Montreal Expos 8-4.

Alou had a two-run single in the first off Marc Valdes (0-3) and a three-run homer off Rick DeHart in the third, putting Houston ahead 6-1.

"It was a big night," Alou said. "It could have been bigger. I shut it down after my first two at-bats. I kind of lost my concentration after that. I don't know what I was thinking about."

Alou went 2-for-5, striking out in each of his last three at-bats.

Everett followed Alou's homer with his second home run of the season. DeHart had relieved Valdes with the bases loaded and no outs.

Batting from the left side, Everett homered off Miguel Batista leading off the fifth for an 8-1 lead. It was the second time Everett homered from both sides in one game; the other was for the New York Mets against the Chicago Cubs on April 20, 1997.

"When you get in there you've got to do what you've got to do to help the team win," Everett said. "So far I've been seeing the ball well and I'm taking advantage of it."

Jose Lima (3-1) allowed two runs one earned and nine hits in seven innings, struck out seven and walked one.

"I pitched so well after the third inning," Lima said. "I felt like I had command of the game. I just concentrated more and more every inning and you see the results."

Valdes was pounded for five runs and three hits in two-plus innings. He walked three, and his ERA ballooned to 10.38.

Montreal scored an unearned run in the fifth to make it 8-2 and scored twice off Bob Scanlan in the eighth. Rondell White tripled to lead off the eighth and scored on pinch-hitter Scott Livingstone's sacrifice fly. Shane Andrews followed with his fifth homer

Craig Biggio walked opening the third and promptly stole his third base of the game, raising his league-leading total to 10.

Montreal scored its first run in the second inning on F.P. Santangelo's RBI grounder. It drove in Andrews, who stretched his hitting streak to 11 with a double.

Notes: Houston leads the NL with 32 steals while their opponents have only been successful twice in eight attempts through 22 games. Astros runners have been caught stealing 13 times. ... Astros catcher Brad Ausmus was charged with an error when he dropped Brad Fullmer's shallow popup behind the plate in the first. ... Jeff Bagwell walked three times and scored twice for the Astros. ... Montreal catcher Chris Widger left in the fourth because of a lower-back strain and is day to day.