Cardinal Injuries Give Advantage to Astros

When he walked into the Houston Astro clubhouse Saturday evening, right-hander Roger Clemens heard nothing but cheers.

Surely, he thought it must be because his club had defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3, at Minute Maid Park to take a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven National League championship series.

Oh, that.

The Astros, their confidence overflowing, acted as if their victory was a given, even though it was against a team that had beaten them by 11 games in the regular season in the NL Central and had won 100 games. The Astros had already moved on by the time Clemens arrived and were cheering USC’s victory over Notre Dame, shown on the big-screen TV in the middle of their clubhouse.

“I’m trying to shake hands with them,” said Clemens of his teammates, “and they don’t even know who I am.”

If the Astros keep playing the way they are, against a Cardinal team consisting of more and more players who are spending their postgame time treating injuries in the trainer’s room, baseball fans across the country will soon know their names.

Two big names for Houston on Saturday were first baseman Mike Lamb, who hit a two-run homer in the fourth and doubled and scored a run in the sixth, and right fielder Jason Lane, whose single drove Lamb home in that sixth.

“We have a bunch of no-names here,” Lamb said, “but everybody has proven that they belong.”

Clemens, a familiar old name, did his part, holding St. Louis to two runs and six hits in six innings to get the victory.

Both of those runs came across on sacrifice flies, by David Eckstein in the fifth inning and Larry Walker in the sixth.

Ultimately, St. Louis, its lineup severely weakened by the injuries, fell short. Third baseman Scott Rolen has been out since July because of a shoulder injury. Outfielder Reggie Sanders, who injured his neck while falling on the warning track in pursuit of a fly ball in Game 2, was forced to sit out Game 3. Walker, also suffering from a neck injury, is one for nine in this series.

And now, the Cardinals can add Abraham Nunez to the list. He was hurt in the sixth inning when Brad Ausmus singled to right with Lane at first. When Lane kept going to third, Walker gunned a throw from right field that Nunez tried to cut off as Lane slid into him.

Lane’s knee clipped Nunez, sending him flying into the air with was what later diagnosed as a badly bruised left knee. Nunez’s status for Game 4 today is uncertain.

After Nunez was helped off the field, Hector Luna replaced him at third. The next batter, Adam Everett, hit a chopper to Luna. With Lane coming home, Luna threw to the outside of the runner. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, catcher Yadier Molina was looking for the ball on the inside. It sailed away untouched and Lane scored what proved to be the winning run.

St. Louis starter Matt Morris took the loss after giving up all four of the Astro runs while lasting 5 1/3 innings.

The Cardinals made it close in the ninth against Astro closer Brad Lidge, pinch-hitter John Mabry doubling home the Cardinals’ third run with two out. But Lidge then got Eckstein on a fly ball to center.