THURSDAY THROUGH JULY 19: ASTROS AT DODGER STADIUM

THURSDAY THROUGH JULY 19: ASTROS AT DODGER STADIUM

Miguel Tejada started this season in court, not in spring training. He was sentenced to one year on probation after pleading guilty to lying to Congress. He had testified he knew nothing about steroid use in baseball, an assertion later contradicted by the Mitchell Report. His performance, however, has not suffered this season. The shortstop made his sixth All-Star team, at 35. He entered the weekend hitting .329, leading the major leagues in doubles with 29 and tied for second in hits, with 112, trailing only Ichiro Suzuki. Outfielder Luke Scott, one of five players acquired by the Baltimore Orioles in the December 2007 trade for Tejada, has 17 home runs, more than any Astros player except first baseman Lance Berkman.

-- Bill Shaikin