HOUSTON— Freddy Sanchez hit a three-run, inside-the-park homer to cap a seven-run ninth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped a five-game skid with a 9-3 win over the Houston Astros on Monday night.

Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche also homered in the inning off Houston closer Jose Valverde, who came in with the Astros leading 3-2.

Sanchez’s shot off Tim Byrdak was Pittsburgh’s first inside-the-park home run since Chris Duffy hit one against the New York Yankees on June 8, 2007. It was the second inside-the-park homer against Houston at home this season—Chicago Cubs’ catcher Geovany Soto had one on May 19.

Valverde (4-3) had converted 23 of his last 25 save opportunities before Bay hit the tying solo homer off the facade in left-center, his 20th of the season.

Xavier Nady singled before LaRoche homered into the porch in left field. Jason Michaels walked and Jack Wilson added an RBI single later in the inning before Houston manager Cecil Cooper brought in Byrdak to relieve Valverde.

One out later, Sanchez drove a 1-0 pitch to right-center and the ball took a sideways bounce off the padding at the bottom of the fence, skipping away from right fielder Hunter Pence.

Once Pence got the ball back to the infield, Sanchez was already rounding third and he slid home ahead of the late relay throw to Houston catcher Brad Ausmus.

Tyler Yates (4-2) pitched a scoreless eighth for Pittsburgh and Denny Bautista shut out the Astros in the ninth.

Carlos Lee drove in two runs and Ausmus added an RBI double for the Astros, who stranded 13 runners and fell to 2-5 against Pittsburgh this season.

Lee broke a 2-all tie in the fifth with an RBI double off the left-field scoreboard. Cooper replaced starter Runelvys Hernandez with Geoff Geary in the sixth inning. Hernandez allowed eight hits and struck out three.

Geary pitched 1 2-3 innings of scoreless relief and hasn’t allowed a run this month, a span of 13 2-3 innings.

Doug Brocail, who gave up three runs while getting just two outs in a 4-3 loss at Pittsburgh on July 8, gave up two singles in the eighth.

The Astros scored their runs off Pittsburgh starter John Van Benschoten, who was recalled from the minors on Monday. Sean Burnett relieved Van Benschoten for the sixth. Home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth was hit by a pitch on his left forearm and held it in pain as he walked away from the plate. Astros assistant athletic trainer Rex Jones ran out to check on him, but Culbreth stayed in the game.