Game Hero 61 - 52

Orlando Palmeiro

3 - 4 3 RBI, 2 doubles First game with two extra base hits Season high for RBI, ties season high for hits If he strikes out in the first, it's probably all over for us Unsung hero: Now hitting .338 overall, and .368 as a pinch-hitter.

Berkman was involved in two HUGE double plays, unleashing a great throw after his catch in left early, and making that diving unassisted DP at first late, but generally, to be awarded game hero, you've usually got to actually notch a base hit. And those are kind of eluding Lance right now.

So I'm going with Palmeiro. Certainly that should seem fair enough: without his first inning double, the game probably ends up 7 or 8 - 1 in favor of the Bad Guys.

Yesterday's was thus at least the second game this year that we would have lost without him. Back on May 9, the Big O drove in both runs in a 2 - 1 road victory over the Marlins.

So it's not a big stretch to say that without Palmeiro, the Astros wouldn't have their wild card lead.

Just as it's not a stretch to claim that Palmeiro is one of the best pinch-hitters in the National League this year.

To have yielded the pitching matchup in two straight games to a contender and have still achieved the split is kind of nice actually, and tonight, the pitching matchup is ours, with Pettitte--even a newly mortal Pettitte in the new month--over Ryan Drese.

Nothing is guaranteed, though: the long-dormant Nationals bats appear to have awakened. I wonder what we did?