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Shuffling lineup works wonders for Astros

By Buster Olney
ESPN The Magazine

Saturday, October 15, 2005

HOUSTON -- Not long ago, the Astros were the worst offensive team in baseball, getting shut out 10 times in the first 10 weeks of the season, going as many as four days between runs. Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent were gone and the guys who replaced them weren't hitting. Most games were close, and the Astros had to scrape together bits of offense to nurture their rallies, with manager Phil Garner mixing and matching his lineup, playing hunches, playing anybody who threw out a couple of hits. And ...

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