Juiced: Wayward Astros Still Hold Fans' Attention

"There's a lot of games left – don't give up on us" – Astros SS Adam Everett after Saturday's 8-3 win over St. Louis

Most years the Houston Astros are only interesting if they're at or near the top of the league. Let's face it, personality and charismawise, we're not exactly talking Johnny Damon or Manny Ramirez here. Even that midnight creeper A-Rod just got a whole lot more interesting in the last week or so. (Come back, Derek Bell, all is forgiven.) This year, however, they may be sucking wind in the standings – 23-33 after Sunday's loss, 8.5 games behind the pacesetting Brewers – but there's all sorts of interesting subplots to hold fans' interest. Lucky us.

The Astros have a legitimate MVP candidate in Carlos Lee and potential Rookie of the Year in Hunter Pence, both of whom have become huge favorites during their brief tenures at the Juice Box – even if playing the U.S. Army cavalry fanfare every time Lee gets on base may be overdoing it a bit; can this guy really like being called "the Horse" all that much? But all he's doing is leading the National League in RBIs with 52, putting him on pace for around 150 or so this year. That's approximately 75% of the Astros' total projected 2007 RBIs.

Pence, meanwhile, has thrown the Union Station faithful – who, I'll say it again, are as long-suffering as any Cub or Red Sox loyalist – into a swoon with these numbers: .375, 5 HR, 11 2B, 3 3B, 48 H, and 23 RBI in a little over a month. No wonder he was named NL Rookie of the Month for May Monday with, among other things, an eye-popping .573 slugging percentage. GM Tim Purpura and manager Phil Garner have to be salivating at the idea of locking Pence up long-term, though if they don't start winning more ballgames, he'll be around Minute Maid a lot longer than they will.

Then there's always Craig Biggio's quest for 3,000 hits contrasted with Mark Loretta's – and, since he was called up from Round Rock Sunday evening, now Chris Burke's – quest for more playing time. As of Monday, Biggio needs 22 more hits to reach the magic number, but he could also set the all-time hit-by-pitch record by season's end. That's the one to write home about and the subject of an amusing SportsCenter feature Sunday wherein several pitchers past and present speculated that maybe, just maybe, Bidge didn't always do all he could have to get out of the way of their errant tosses. Bite your tongues!

And how about this: None of those guys might win team MVP – though for sentimental reasons alone Biggio seems like a lock – if Roy Oswalt has that Cy Young season everyone knows he's already had three or four times, and could still have. At the moment, his numbers are decent enough (6-4, 3.20 ERA, 57 SO), and that won-loss record would be a lot better if the offense gave him a break once in a while. As for the rest of the rotation, besides Chris Sampson, what were their names again?

Let's see … what else? Adam Everett turns routine ground balls into pure poetry several times a game and probably robs two or three hits from his opponents on a slow night. Mentalists have plenty to plunge into, contemplating why studs like Lance Berkman, Morgan Ensberg, Luke Scott, and Jason Lane (sent to Round Rock after stranding the tying runs in extra innings Sunday) are also such space cases. Or why the bullpen will go a week without surrendering a run and then get torched for seven like in the Cardinal ninth Friday night. For example, can't somebody explain to Chad Qualls the difference between late-inning close-game situations and batting practice? Please?

"Just because the Astros might be going nowhere doesn't mean they'll be uninteresting," esteemed Houston Chronicle sportswriter Richard Justice wrote on his blog Sunday. "Even train wrecks can be fascinating." True enough, but forgive me for thinking Astro Nation would sacrifice a few of those oh-so-compelling storylines for a few more wins. Stay tuned, true believers.