"Other than 2,000 bees stopping play for 52 minutes in the top of the ninth inning, it was like any other major league baseball game.

When it was done, the Astros had won again, defeating the San Diego Padres 7-2 on Thursday afternoon at Petco Park.

The Astros took three of four from the Padres as they head to San Francisco for a weekend series against the Giants. They've won eight of their last 10 series.

"The key is to keep winning series," manager Cecil Cooper said. "That's the name of the game."

Cooper got another terrific pitching performance, this one from Wandy Rodriguez, who allowed one run in seven innings for his seventh victory. He lowered his ERA to a solid 3.21.

"He threw a lot of fastballs inside today," catcher Ivan Rodriguez said. "I don't think he had a real good curveball, but he hung in there and got through it."

Offense? The Astros finally had some, pounding 10 hits. Lance Berkman was on base four times with two walks and two doubles. Geoff Blum drove in four runs.

They gave Rodriguez (7-6) some breathing room with two runs in the first inning against Padres starter Kevin Correia (5-6), then built on that start throughout the afternoon. Blum's three-run homer broke it open in the fifth.

"We're playing good baseball right now," Blum said, "and we're not putting it all on one guy's back."

The game was a milestone of sorts for the Astros (38-39), who are one game under .500 for the first time since they were 1-2. They were two games under .500 six other times this season but had lost their next game each time.

Now they've won 19 of 30 and are three games out of first place in the NL Central.

NL Central bunched

"You get to the point you almost expect it," Blum said. "I think we don't panic too much when we lose. We just keep playing."

It didn't come without some weirdness. The Astros cruised into the ninth inning with a 6-1 lead, but with two outs and Michael Bourn on first base, a swarm of bees appeared in left field.

The Padres and umpires cleared the field and sort of, well, looked at one another and wondered what to do next. At one point, Blum donned netting and looked like he might go down to take on the bees.

The Padres thought of something even more clever. They placed a Padres jacket on a chair and somehow lured the queen bee into it. No, it wasn't a Nordstrom's charge card that got her into the net.

All of the approximately 2,000 bees soon followed, and the Padres summoned a beekeeper to remove them. The Padres might be the only major league team with a beekeeper on speed dial.

"It's how the year has gone," Blum said. "Bizarre things. You think you've seen it all in baseball, and you see something new.'

Now, about the Big Puma. In his last eight games, Berkman is 13-for-25 with six walks, two doubles, three homers, 10 RBIs and nine runs. His average has gone from .239 to .265 .

When Berkman is hitting, the Astros have a different offensive look.

"Maybe it's a law-of-averages thing," he said. "You don't always have to feel comfortable to succeed. It's easy to hit when the ball looks huge and your timing is good. If you can scratch something out when you're not feeling great, that's the key to having a pretty good season."

Despite all of that, it's the starting pitching that has led the Astros back. They've had 11 quality starts in the last 13 games and a 2.16 ERA in their last 12."