--3B Ty Wigginton, who missed his third consecutive game with a sore left ribcage, expects to return to the lineup Friday in the first game of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers.
"I'm fine," he said. "I fully expect to be in there (Friday). Breathing is not very hard. Every now and then when I cough it hurts, but it's not like it's a whole lot. I definitely expect to be ready."
"Like I've said this over and over, he can hit everywhere," manager Cecil Cooper said of Pence. "This guy can hit anywhere in the lineup. He's that kind of guy. He's got power, he's got speed. I see that average is starting to climb. I think he can be (a high batting) average guy as he goes through his career. He can do everything.
"Plays defense, steals bases, you name it, take the extra base, hits doubles, triples. I mean, he's an all-purpose kind of guy. One of the best young players in the game, there's no question about it when he's at his level. And he's climbing to his level, I'm telling you. He's getting there."
--1B Lance Berkman had batted in the No. 3 slot earlier in the year, but he remained in the cleanup spot even with Miguel Tejada out of the lineup.
"It didn't even come up," manager Cecil Cooper said of possibly moving Berkman back to No. 3. "This is just, we'll work around him. Like from now on if I need a leadoff guy, I won't move Kaz (Matsui). I'll just leave him and we'll work around him. That's just where they hit. Berkman will just stay there. (Carlos) Lee, we'll just keep him there and work around him. Everybody else is interchangeable. Those guys are locked in. I think they should be locked in that way."
--LHP Wandy Rodriguez, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left groin muscle, will throw a simulated game Friday in Arlington, Texas, in hopes of being cleared to make a rehab start.
"I'm ready to do go," Rodriguez said. "I don't feel it. I'm ready to go start. It's not easy to sit here and watch guys pitch. I'm getting desperate now."
--Manager Cecil Cooper plans to use Lance Berkman as the designated hitter Friday night in the first game against the Texas Rangers. He intends to use Carlos Lee as the DH on Saturday.
--1B Darin Erstad will start at first on Friday and in the outfield Saturday.
--RHP Geoff Geary will wait until Friday to see how he improves after exiting with a strained right groin muscle Thursday in the eighth inning.
"It grabbed," he said of the injury. "I thought I'd be able to at least get out of that inning with a groundball. When Brad (Ausmus) came out, I said, 'Give me this hitter and then make a decision from there.' My next four pitches were balls that barely got to the plate. So him being the veteran, he called out the trainers and said, 'Let's switch this up because this isn't going anywhere real quick.'"
--LF Carlos Lee returned to the starting lineup a day after he suffered a scare when he fell on his left wrist trying to make a diving catch. "I turned it when I fell, but when you hurt it and it passes, it's fine," Lee said. "It doesn't hurt anymore. Last night it didn't even tighten up or anything. It just hurt when I did it."
--RF Hunter Pence extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a double to right field in the fourth inning. 1B Lance Berkman followed with a two-run single to right, extending his hitting streak to 14 games.
--RHP Shawn Chacon (0-0, 3.53 ERA) will try to earn his first decision in his ninth start of the season. He has tied the record for the most consecutive no-decisions to start a season with eight. RHP Sidney Ponson (2-0, 3.16 ERA) will start for the Rangers.
BY THE NUMBERS 8 -- Lance Berkman tied the franchise record with eight consecutive hits. He started with a hit in the 12th inning on May 4 and hit a home run in the fourth inning May 7.
QUOTE TO NOTE "Every day it's something. For the last 10 days it's been something happening to him. It's just been incredible. I don't know how to explain it. I was never in a streak like that. Never, ever." -- Manager Cecil Cooper.
Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
The Astros are arguably the best 2nd half team in baseball this decade, does it continue? Well with good pitching, as the last 2 games have been, it will. If the pitching has some of the same 1st half inconsistencies, it could be a long season for us all. I say not however, with
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so with the Astros 9 games out of a wild card spot...i like the latest lineup with matsui leading off. why not put wiggy in the 2 hole--that would give you 2 strong obp guys for the 3-6 hitters.
we've lived with 3 outs at the bottom of the lineup for a long time, let's stick towles and bourne in the 7 & 8 holes
