WASHINGTON — Houston Astros right-hander Roy Oswalt left Tuesday's start against the Washington Nationals in the sixth inning after hurting a finger while batting.

Oswalt got a bone bruise on the index finger of his pitching hand and said he might skip a bullpen throwing session between starts.

"I'll see how I feel heading into this weekend," he said.

He allowed four runs and four hits in five-plus innings of a game that eventually was suspended by rain with the teams tied 10-all in the 11th inning. It will be resumed July 9.

Oswalt has tied a career mark by going seven starts without a victory.

He described his injury as a stinger, resulting from when the ball went off the end of the bat while he was trying to bunt in the fifth inning.

In the bottom half of that inning, Oswalt was visited on the mound by manager Cecil Cooper, pitching coach Dewey Robinson and a team trainer. Oswalt stayed in for the completion of that at-bat, then left the game.

"I went out there and tried to throw a few breaking balls. I couldn't throw them. I tried to get through an inning throwing a lot of fastballs," the pitcher said. "I knew that wasn't going to work."