Houston Astros Correspondent Report
May 31, 2002
Written by Joshua Horton

The Astros season so far has been filled with inconsistency. Despite many terrific outings by the starting staff, the bullpen has blown many leads. Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner have been inconsistent at the back end of the bullpen, and injuries to the front end of the bullpen have forced the Astros to use unproven prospects. On the bright side, Roy Oswalt, Tim Redding, and Carlos Hernandez have given the Astros some terrific starting pitching, while Lance Berkman is among the major league leaders in Home Runs and RBIs.

Local Perspective
While many have been worried about the Astros slow start, most of the Astros themselves are not concerned. Catcher Brad Ausmus said in an interview that the players are not concerned, simply because of the way they started last year. Fans should have every reason to believe that the Astros will turn things around and work their way back to first place.

Injuries
RHP Doug Brocail, who is still recovering from the Tommy John operation he had 13 months ago, is set to throw a bullpen session sometime this week. He remains on 15-day DL.
RHP Scott Linebrink remains on the 15-day DL with an injury to his pitching elbow.
RHP T.J. Matthews, who was arguably the Astros most consistent setup man, is on the 15-day DL with an injury to his right bicep.
RHP Dave Mlicki is also on the 15-day DL with an injury to his left intercostal, and could miss a month of action.

Quick view
Add:
SS Julio Lugo, who has moved up to first in the lineup. He should continue to be a good source of steals and runs scored.
RHP Tim Redding, who has secured a spot in the rotation due to the injury to Dave Mlicki. Redding has pitching extremely well after two miserable starts. He should register a large number of strikeouts and snare some wins.

Drop:
3B Morgan Ensberg, who has been sent down to AAA to work his way out of a bad hitting slump.

Hold:
RHP Roy Oswalt, who has been dominant this year (6-3 record, 2.57 ERA). He should contend for the Cy Young award this year, and for years to come.
LHP Carlos Hernandez, who appears to be fully recovered from shoulder surgery. He should provide a lot of wins and a good ERA.
LHP Billy Wagner, who should start saving more games as the team starts winning. Expect at least 35 more saves this year.l
CF Lance Berkman, who is currently among the league leaders with 18 Home Runs and 49 RBIs.
1B Jeff Bagwell, who is always one of the best players in fantasy baseball.
RF Richard Hidalgo, who is starting to return to his 2000 form.

Keep an eye on:
RHP Brad Lidge, who has stuff that is comparable to Robb Nen. He could come up in middle relief, or even start if one of the starters goes down.
OF/1B Jason Lane, who could step in if one of the starting outfielders goes down. He's been a minor league monster over the last few years, and is a star on the rise.