Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence each drove in a pair of runs to guide the Houston Astros to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.

Lee belted a two-run home run and Pence brought in two with a triple to help support starter Wandy Rodriguez.

Rodriguez (3-7) allowed one run on five hits with eight strikeouts, but needed 115 pitches to get through five innings as he snapped a three-game losing skid.

The bullpen picked up the slack as four relievers combined to allow a pair of hits the rest of the way.

Adam Dunn finished with three hits for Washington, including a first-inning double that gave his team a 1-0 advantage.

After Lee’s homer in the third gave the Astros the 2-1 edge, an error allowed Pence to score in sixth before he followed an inning later with his run-scoring triple.

Nationals starter John Lannan (2-3) allowed five runs -- three earned -- on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.