Houston Wins One For Dierker

Larry Dierker was missing from the Houston Astros dugout. His No. 49 jersey, however, was hanging there for inspiration.

With Dierker scheduled for brain surgery early Tuesday and bench coach Matt Galante filling in, the Astros won their fourth in a row Monday night, beating the Atlanta Braves 10-4.

Craig Biggio hit three doubles, Derek Bell drove in three runs and Jeff Bagwell hit his 21st homer for Houston. The Astros sent Atlanta to its fourth straight loss in a matchup of NL division leaders.

Biggio and Bagwell were among members of the Astros' organization that visited Dierker in the hospital earlier in the day.

Dierker collapsed in the dugout in the eighth inning of Sunday's game with the San Diego Padres. A mass of malformed blood vessels in his brain caused his seizure.

"Seeing him in the hospital helped us big time," Galante said. "Seeing him up and being able to talk to Dierker made us all feel better. We're keeping that seat ready for Larry."

Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker spoke with Dierker, and said doctors told him the manager's prognosis was "excellent." Houston players were relieved that Dierker's condition was not caused by a tumor.

"You couldn't eat or sleep last night," Bell said before the game. "It was great to see that he is OK. Now we can go out and do what he trained us to do the last three years, have fun and play hard."

Biggio extended his league-leading total to 29 doubles. Twenty of his last 43 hits have been doubles.

Carl Everett went 4-for-5 and drove in a run in the Astros' four-run sixth.

Mike Hampton (8-2) won for the eighth time in his last nine decisions and extended his record to 4-1 against the Braves in the Astrodome. He went seven innings and allowed three runs.

"Larry was very much on our minds," Hampton said. "We tried to go out there and do what he tld us to do win."

Trever Miller pitched 1 2-3 innings for his first save.

Bell, who hit the first grand slam of his career Sunday the game was suspended after Dierker collapsed with Houston ahead 4-1 had another chance with the bases loaded in the first inning against Odalis Perez (4-3).

Biggio doubled, Ricky Gutierrez walked and Bagwell was intentionally walked. Bell's grounder scored Biggio and Richard Hidalgo hit a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.

Bell had another bases-loaded situation in the four-run sixth and this time he hit a two-run single to left field. Hidalgo and Everett had run-scoring singles in the inning, giving the Astros an 8-3 lead.

Javy Lopez hit Hampton's first pitch of the second inning for a homer and Andruw Jones had a run-scoring double in the fourth. Lopez added an RBI double in the eighth off Jay Powell.

"I thought it was a heart attack yesterday," Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said. "I'm like everyone else, I want him to pull through. He's not out of the woods yet, with them operating on his brain."

Hampton's grounder in the second and Biggio's second double made it 4-2 in the fourth.

"I don't know him well, but I know he's a good guy," Braves outfielder Brian Jordan said. "I think everyone in the league said their prayers for him. I hope everything will work out all right for him."

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