Nl Central

AstrosThat was then: Houston won the Central with 102 wins despite having the lowest payroll of any playoff team, then fell to the Padres in the Division Series.This is now: The Astros lost Randy Johnson to free agency, failed to trade for Roger Clemens, then learned that Moises Alou, third in MVP votes, suffered what likely will be a season-ending knee injury by slipping while trying to adjust the speed on his treadmill. That's no way to start the Astrodome's final season.Upside: Other key NL Central injuries keep the Astros the favorites.

The same suspects Kevin Baxter Los Angeles Times If you liked last season's NL playoffs, chances are you'll like this fall's version since you'll be seeing many of the same teams. Washington, with Stephen Strasburg cleared to pitch a full season alongside Gio Gonzalez, could be even more dominant in the East, while the World Series champion Giants, with their deep pitching staff and reigning MVP Buster Posey behind the plate, are the favorites in the West.

It looks like a happy new year for the Cardinals, thanks to an unlikely bit of work from general manager John Mozeliak and owner Bill DeWitt Jr. By signing Matt Holliday to a seven-year contract after previously securing the uncertain returns of manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan - even if for only the 2010 season - the Cardinals have joined the Mariners and perhaps the Yankees and Red Sox in...

No one should be surprised that the Texas Rangers enter Game 1 of the 107th World Series on Wednesday night as medium favorites to win the first title by a franchise from the Lone Star State. They're the better team on paper and they actually won their division championship, so what else would you expect the oddsmakers to do when the other guys brought the worst regular-season record into the postseason? It's a fair question. The Rangers can do it all, and they've been doing it all year.

The major-league baseball season lasts about six months, but for three National League contenders, it all comes down to the next six days.For that matter, the composition of the NL playoffs could be decided in the next 72 hours.The Houston Astros and the Cincinnati Reds, tied in the National League Central standings, come face to face tonight at the Astrodome in Houston for the opener of a two-game series that will have a heavy bearing on the outcome of the division race and the wild-card derby.

Astros: Houston is 46-35 at the midpoint, not counting its suspended game against the Padres. It was 49-32 last season, when it won the NL Central for a second consecutive season.

The Sun's national baseball writer, Peter Schmuck, ranks the major leagues' 28 teams.Rank, Team, Previous Rank, Comment1. Cleveland Indians, 5, No joke. The mistake by the lake has been corrected.2. Baltimore Orioles, 6, Once sporatic O's have caught stride. Look out.3. Atlanta Braves, 3, Great team has been sputtering lately, but no serious setbacks.4. Cincinnati Reds, 4, Two Ohio teams are combined 56-22 at home.5. New York Yankees, 1, Had to cool off sooner or later. Still to be reckoned with.

Quote: "These games are huge. We have to beat Atlanta. If we don't beat Atlanta, we're not going to make it." - Reds' Steve Parris, who won his fourth straight start Tuesday as Cincinnati pulled within 7 1/2 games of St. Louis in the NL Central. It's a fact: Cardinals leadoff hitter Fernando Vina has been hit by a pitch a major league-leading 23 times this season. Who's hot: The Cubs' Sammy Sosa has driven in 122 runs, tops in the NL. It is the third straight season he's driven in at least 120 runs.

BOSTON -- Are baseball fans ready for a season filled with six -- count 'em, six -- divisional races?Better yet, are the baseball owners ready?Owners continued their talks about splitting the American and National leagues into three divisions each. But despite clearing up some minor disputes at yesterday's round of owners meetings, team executives still appeared divided whether to adopt the controversial plan for next season."The concept of three divisions is possible, that would probably pass," said National League president Bill White after emerging from a session with NL owners late yesterday.

The Houston Astros lost Moises Alou to a knee injury and lost out in the Roger Clemens derby, but general manager Jerry Hunsicker isn't ready to concede his club's position as the decided favorite in the National League Central."

It looks like a happy new year for the Cardinals, thanks to an unlikely bit of work from general manager John Mozeliak and owner Bill DeWitt Jr. By signing Matt Holliday to a seven-year contract after previously securing the uncertain returns of manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan - even if for only the 2010 season - the Cardinals have joined the Mariners and perhaps the Yankees and Red Sox in...

JUPITER, Fla. - St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa knows all about perception and reality, which is why he isn't ready to go quietly into third place in the National League Central. The Cardinals were the team to beat last spring, but they finished third in a tight three-team race that was won by a team that had the 14th-best record in the league the year before. "In 2000, the Reds got [Ken] Griffey and the only thing everyone wanted to know is how many games they were going to win by," La Russa said.

Chicago Cubs Manager: Dusty Baker 2002 record: 67-95 (fifth) What's new: The Cubs have a new manager, a new starting catcher (Damian Miller), another veteran starting pitcher (Shawn Estes), a beefed-up bullpen and several new bats, but they still appear to be undermanned in the National League Central. They ranked 11th in the league in runs scored last year and 12th in ERA, so it would be a very long climb up the divisional ladder to get into position for a postseason berth. On the spot: Baker will bring a new attitude to Wrigley Field, but the novelty will wear off in a hurry if the Cubs look like the same hapless bunch that finished with more victories among NL teams than only the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers.

Houston Astros Manager: Jimy Williams 2001 record: 93-69 (first) What's new in 2002: Williams takes over for Larry Dierker, who didn't do much in Houston besides win division titles. Williams is being hailed as the man who will take the Astros to the next level: the World Series. No pressure there. The lineup will look fairly new without outfielder Moises Alou and third baseman Vinny Castilla. So will the pitching staff without Pedro Astacio, Mike Jackson and Mike Williams. Most of these losses were for budgetary reasons.

Milwaukee Brewers Record: 73-89, 3rd place, 22 back Runs scored: 740 (13th in NL) Runs allowed: 826 (10th in NL) Manager: Davey Lopes Home: Miller Park That was then: Forced to play an extra year at County Stadium because of a construction accident at new Miller Park, Milwaukee started 9-15 en route to its eighth straight losing season. The Brewers ended their offensive funk after acquiring power hitter Richie Sexson in July. This is now: The team has sold 1.6 million tickets at the $400 million, 43,500-seat jewel of a stadium, surpassing last year's total attendance, and is using the income to boost payroll from $27 million to $45 million.

ST. LOUIS - Former Orioles first baseman Will Clark can't believe his good fortune and, by all accounts, the St. Louis Cardinals feel the same way. Who would have thought that in a summer when front-line pitchers Curt Schilling, Denny Neagle and Andy Ashby were traded to contenders, Clark would be the midseason acquisition of the year? "I came over here and just walked into a great situation," Clark said, as the Cardinals prepared for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at Busch Stadium.

Quote: "These games are huge. We have to beat Atlanta. If we don't beat Atlanta, we're not going to make it." - Reds' Steve Parris, who won his fourth straight start Tuesday as Cincinnati pulled within 7 1/2 games of St. Louis in the NL Central. It's a fact: Cardinals leadoff hitter Fernando Vina has been hit by a pitch a major league-leading 23 times this season. Who's hot: The Cubs' Sammy Sosa has driven in 122 runs, tops in the NL. It is the third straight season he's driven in at least 120 runs.

From the start, the National League Central seemed doomed to middle-market obscurity. Baseball's rush to regional realignment isolated several of the league's low-revenue clubs in the same division, and it only got worse when the 1997 expansion pushed the economically challenged Milwaukee Brewers into the picture. If not for the exploits of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa the past two years, the division would have had trouble finding itself on a map. Not anymore. The arrival of superstar Ken Griffey in Cincinnati has added a dimension to the home run chase, and major off-season additions to several clubs have changed the chemistry of the division.