HOUSTON -- A much different Charlie Morton surfaced today than the one who gave up a lone hit -- and no runs -- as he mowed down first-place Florida in Miami's blazing heat on Friday.

This version just didn't seem like the same guy.

Not even remotely.

Morton was hit hard in a 5-0 to the Houston Astros loss at Minute Maid Park today, lasting just four innings and giving up five runs -- all earned -- on 10 hits.

When Morton exited, Houston batters had gone 10 for 21 against him with four two-out RBIs, hit safely on 5 of 11 chances with runners in scoring position, and drilled four extra-base hits.

It didn't help that the Pirates couldn't muster much semblance of an offense, either.

As Morton struggled, his counterpart, Houston lefthander Wandy Rodriguez, served as a counterbalance. He was efficient and effective, forcing defensive swings from the get-go.

Rodriguez threw a complete-game five-hitter with 11 strikeouts, retiring 13 of 14 batters to end the game.

All five hits against Rodriguez, who threw 125 pitches, were singles.

Morton ran into trouble to start the second, giving up sharp singles -- both up the middle -- to Carlos Lee and Geoff Blum to begin the inning.

From there, Morton buckled down in the inning, extracting himself from it without giving up a run as a Kaz Matsui strikeout was sandwiched between groundouts he forced from Hunter Pence and Humberto Quintero.

In the third, Morton wouldn't be so lucky as to get out of the inning without yielding a run.

After Michael Bourn drilled a one-out triple to center, Miguel Tejada hit a chopper that bounced over first baseman Adam LaRoche's head, giving the Astros a 1-0 advantage and Carlos Lee made it 2-0 later in the inning with a double the other way, scoring Lance Berkman.

And it could have been worse if not for a perfectly executed relay play from Andrew McCutchen to Jack Wilson and then to catcher Robinzon Diaz that nailed Tejada, who attempted to score from first on Berkman's double.

The fourth wasn't kind to Morton, either.

He gave up three runs on four hits in that inning, the most damaging a Berkman double -- his second in two innings -- that chased home two to make it 5-0.

With the way Rodriguez worked, that proved more than enough.