Astros Exercise Biggio's Option, But Not Kent's
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HOUSTON (Sports Network) - Craig Biggio will be around for  an 18th season with the Houston Astros. On Thursday, the team  exercised its contract option on Biggio for the 2005 season.
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Though manager Terry Francona wasn't willing to discuss his playoff rotation in the wake of last night's 7-3 win over Oakland, he did allow that there is some wiggle room in the way things are currently set up, with Daisuke Matsuzaka and Curt Schilling following Josh Beckett .
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A year ago, he was the new star in camp. Reporters begged for a moment of his time and he managed to avoid most of them. He was the centerpiece acquisition off a tumultuous offseason, a can't-miss kid with a World Series MVP (won in Yankee Stadium!) on his r&#xE9;sum&#xE9;.
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Jeff Kent&#39;s three-run homer in the ninth inning gave Houston a 3-0 win over the St Louis Cardinals Monday to move the Astros within one game of reaching the World Series for the first time in team history.
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HOUSTON -- Craig Biggio doffed his cap and waved to the crowd from first base. He was nearly in tears, realizing the standing ovation may have been one of his last as an Astro.
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The Houston Astros have made their first bid to keep Carlos Beltran. They know it will be far from their last. Beltran met with Astros officials on Wednesday, Houston's latest effort to retain the All-Star center fielder who led the team within one win of its first World Series berth.
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The Houston Astros sign outfielder Carlos Lee and pitcher Woody Williams, bolstering their offense and a pitching staff that could be without Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.
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Perhaps Clay Buchholz shouldn't be written in as the Red Sox' No. 5 starter just yet. Though he may be the team's best option to fill the void left by the injury to Curt Schilling , the Sox have other options. They could trade for a starting pitcher or sign a free agent.
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The Houston Astros Thursday decided not to offer second baseman Jeff Kent a contract to play a third year with the team in 2005. The Astros did offer one to outfielder Craig Biggio
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Craig Biggio says he's more than ready to reach 3,000 hits. To do it in Milwaukee, he'll need to have a very productive game on Tuesday. The 41-year-old Biggio was not in the lineup on Monday night and was also scheduled to take Wednesday off in the Houston Astros' three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers. He is four hits shy of becoming the 27th player with 3,000 or more.
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The Houston Astros had one chance to get out of St. Louis with a victory. That was a rainout. A washout of Game 2 last night would have allowed the Astros to skip sacrificial
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The Astros are getting Jason Jennings instead of Jon Garland to replace Andy Pettitte in their starting rotation.
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Miguel Tejada got his wish Â albeit a couple of years later than he wanted. Tejada was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Houston Astros for five players on Wednesday, giving the 2002 AL MVP a fresh start on a team looking to boost its lineup.
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ST. LOUIS - If Andy Pettitte and Wade Miller were available, the Houston rotation would be set up perfectly for the National League Championship Series.
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PHILADELPHIA - Hardly anybody associated with the Astros was surprised Wednesday when word spread that Andy Pettitte will have season-ending surgery.
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As Boston officials tried to work out a contract with Daisuke Matsuzaka before Thursday's deadline, the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers found pitching help of their own.
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CBC SPORTS ONLINE - The Anaheim Angels exercised catcher Bengie Molina&#39;s contract option on Monday, but not that of pitcher Ramon Ortiz.