By Gary Brooks
SportsLine Baseball Editor

The Astros stand to get even better

The Houston Astros' faithful spent the winter checking the daily free agent and trade rumors. Should the team make an end-all-competition offer to keep Randy Johnson? Should it give up Scott Elarton and Richard Hidalgo to acquire Roger Clemens?

Now, those same Astros' fans look back with relief that neither move was made. Instead, without giving the pitching staff another top-flight arm, without injured star Moises Alou in the outfield, and even with Ken Caminiti on the disabled list the Astros are sizzlin' as the best team in the National League.

Scott Elarton is an imtimidating presence on the mound. (Allsport)

General Manager Gerry Hunsicker passed on the high-profile moves in order to keep the always important low-profile likes Elarton and Hidalgo. Elarton has helped Houston shorten games by handing the flame-throwing torch from the Astros' fine starting staff to overpowering closer Billy Wagner. Hidalgo has become extremely important due to Alou's torn knee ligaments.

And having not given into the temptation to sign the "Big Unit" who went 10-1 in August and September, the Astros now have enough payroll room to make additional team strengthening moves if there are any weaknesses to fix at the July 31 trade deadline.

The way the team is going now (28-16 and 4.5 games up on the NL Central) there don't appear to be many weaknesses that need fixing.

THINGS ARE ACTUALLY BOUND TO get better. Caminiti's production has to pick up from his 17-RBI-in-33-game numbers prior to going on the disabled list. Houston's pitching staff has close to outdone Caminiti's run production by hitting two home runs and driving in 15 runs. Caminiti, even having missed 54 games over the past two seasons, hit 54 home runs and drove in 172. And the prospect of Alou making a September return can't hurt. Neither will the impending return of shortstop Ricky Gutierrez from his broken hand.

The boost the Astros could receive when the injured players return only adds to what is already the National League's top hitting team (.281).

A quarter of the way into the season, it doesn't appear that anyone else in the Central has enough pitching or an overwhelming enough offense to keep pace with Houston. And if the Astros get into the playoffs, the pitching staff shrinks to its most quality elements and Elarton becomes more important.

If Houston had given him up, it might have Clemens in the rotation forcing Mike Hampton to the bullpen in the playoffs and Houston wouldn't have the ideal three-armed starter-setup-closer attack that has become so crucial in today's game.

The way it stands, Shane Reynolds, Jose Lima and Hampton are the best trio in the NL and it doesn't appear there was any reason to add a Cy Young Award winner to the staff.

So the Astros patience and foresight may turn into a pennant in hindsight.

WHILE THE ASTROS' OFFENSE has exceeded expectations, considering injuries to key contributors, the Anaheim Angels' offense has not made the same surprise. Granted, the Angels have had even more significant injuries than Houston but Anaheim should still be better than the 10th-best hitting team (.266) in the AL.

Of greatest significance in the Angels' stalled run production has been the performance of cleanup hitters since Tim Salmon injured his wrist May 3. Even with Garret Anderson's two home runs and three RBI Tuesday night, the Angels cleanup hitters -- Anderson, Todd Greene and Troy Glaus -- have combined to drive in nine runs in 19 games without Salmon. With Anderson in the No. 4 spot for 13 of those games, the Angels cleanup batters have gone 22-for-78 (.282) with four home runs and 10 runs scored.

When Salmon injured ligaments in his left wrist in Chicago May 3, he was hitting .347 with seven home runs, 28 RBI and 18 runs scored in 26 games.

The news could get worse. Salmon is scheduled to have his soft cast removed and the injured wrist examined next week. There is some concern that he may need surgery if there has not been significant improvement. That would cost him, and likely the Angels, their season.

Sizzlin' ... the countdown

Is there a better hitter who creates less excitement than New York Mets first baseman John Olerud? He is the only player in the big leagues with an on-base percentage better than .500. In 202 plate appearances he's reached 102 times.

The Kansas City Royals have been the most surprising team in the majors and seem to be getting better with each day of experience their young lineup gains. In their past 26 games, the Royals are hitting .311 (292-938) and have gone 16-10. The team expected to be among the worst in baseball is on pace to best the team record of 851 runs set by the 1979 team by more than 100 runs.

The Cleveland Indians' offense could score nearly one run less per game the rest of the season and still be the most prolific of the century. Through Wednesday, Cleveland was on pace to score 1,145 runs. Only six teams have scored 1,000 runs in a season. The 1931 version of the New York Yankees holds the all-time mark of 1,067. That, and actually all six previous 1,000-run teams, reached the mark in 154-game seasons. Amazingly, three of the six teams to score 1,000 runs, didn't make the playoffs. The 1950 Red Sox (1,027), 1930 Yankees (1,062) and even the record-setting 1931 Yanks weren't AL Champs. In fact, the '31 Yankees finished 13.5 games behind the pitching-rich Philadelphia A's. The Yankees also had 1,000-run teams in 1932 (1,002) and 1936 (1,065) which won the World Series. The only NL team to pass 1,000 was the 1930 St. Louis Cardinals (1,004).

On May 9, Ken Griffey Jr. was at a season-low .270 and the Seattle Mariners were struggling to keep out of the AL West cellar at 14-17. Since then, Griffey has hit in a career-best 14 straight games and Seattle has shown some life going 8-6. Griffey is 24-for-56 (.429) with seven home runs and 18 RBI in the stretch.

The Astros have the best pitching and best offense in the National League.

Fizzlin' ... the countdown

Not often do you hear promising young starting pitchers ask to be skipped in the rotation, but that is the case with the mysteriously struggling Jason Schmidt. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander has given up 35 hits, 18 runs and walked 15 in his past 24.1 innings. His ERA has gone from 2.86 at the end of April to 6.66.

The Dodgers' success has typically always been pitching-based and if their hitters provided just a bit more in the clutch, the 1999 pitching staff might move into more elite status as a playoff squad. Los Angeles has not hit well with runners in scoring position (.243) or in close-game situations after the seventh inning (.217). That's why they've only scored 215 runs (10th in the NL) and Kevin Brown is 5-3 despite a 2.39 ERA.

Darryl Strawberry's no contest plea to drug and solicitation charges may have kept him from doing jail time -- he was sentenced to 18 months of probation, plus community service and fines -- but it won't get him back to the big leagues any time soon. Admitting another lapse in his major league drug aftercare program could lead to a substantial suspension from baseball. At 37, Strawberry, who is on administrative leave from the New York Yankees roster, may be done.

It was only two series vs. the Cleveland Indians ago that the Chicago White Sox pitching staff had the best earned-run average in the American League. Through Wednesday's less-explosive 3-1 loss at Cleveland, the staff ERA had moved up to 4.67, sixth in the AL. In the past seven days, Jaime Navarro, John Snyder, James Baldwin, Jim Parque, David Lundquist, Bill Simas and Bob Howry all have ERAs over 9.

Anaheim will need more production from its No. 4 hitters if it is going to move up in the AL West.