Batters need to get on the same page

Houston (46-55) at Milwaukee (57-43), Friday, 7:05 p.m. CT HOUSTON -- The road has been bumpy for the Astros this season, with streaks of success marred by inconsistency and struggles. May, for example, was impressive all around, as Houston went 17-11, tallying five-game and four-game winning streaks to open the month. But a 10-16 June that included an eight-game losing streak brought the team back down to earth. One source of that struggle has been inconsistent offense. Astros manager Cecil Cooper said a couple of key players have been hot, but never at the same time and never for very long. Lance Berkman was hitting .545 during a 17-game hitting streak from April 30 to May 18. He was named May's National League Player of the Month with a .471 average, nine home runs and 22 RBIs. But entering Wednesday's game, Berkman is... [read full story]