HOUSTON — Roy Oswalt tossed seven effective innings and Chris Burke hit a two-run homer to help the Houston Astros beat the Mets 8–3 yesterday.

A day after going 13 innings without a run in a 5-3, 17-inning loss to New York, the Astros scored early and often against Mets starter Dave Williams. They led 8–0 after four.

Oswalt (8–5) got his first victory since June 17 and has 106 wins since 2001 for the most in the majors in that span, surpassing Randy Johnson’s 105.

Morgan Ensberg put the Astros in front with a two-run single to left in the first. Williams (0–1) intentionally walked Carlos Lee before walking Mark Loretta to load the bases before Ensberg’s hit.

Ensberg scored on Bruntlett’s single to make it 3–0 before Williams got Brad Ausmus to pop out with runners on first and second to end the inning.

Williams ran into more trouble in the second in his first game since off-season neck surgery. Rookie Hunter Pence’s sixth triple of the season drove in Burke, and Lance Berkman then hit a sacrifice fly.

Burke homered into the Crawford Boxes in left field in the fourth to make it 7–0.

Williams gave up 10 hits and eight runs in just 3 1-3 innings. He threw 98 pitches, struck out two, and walked four in his first major league appearance since September 25.

Oswalt settled down after a rocky first inning, retiring 14 batters in a row after a walk with two outs in the first. He also gave up a pair of singles in the first, but pitched out of trouble by striking out Jose Valentin to end the inning.

He didn’t give up another hit until David Newhan‘s single with one out in the sixth. Carlos Beltran followed with a two-run homer that landed just over the wall in right field and made it 8–2.

Oswalt allowed three runs and seven hits, struck out five and walked one.

After Burke’s fourth-inning homer, Lance Berkman doubled before scoring on a double by Lee to extend Houston’s lead to 8–0. Mark Loretta’s single chased Williams and Aaron Sele retired the next two batters to end the inning.

Sandy Alomar Jr. doubled and scored on All-Star Jose Reyes’s single in the seventh. Reyes, benched in the eighth inning Friday night for failing to run out a groundball, stole two bases yesterday. He leads the majors with 46 this season and his 202 career swipes is tied with Howard Johnson for second in franchise history.

Notes: Ricky Ledee was designated for assignment before yesterday’s game to make room for Williams on the roster. … yesterday’s game concluded a season-high 11-game homestand for Houston and the Astros won’t return to Minute Maid Park until July 23.