=== One-hit wonders by Backe and Kent give Houston NLCS lead ===
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Brandon Backe&#39;s arm and Jeff Kent&#39;s bat have gotten the Houston Astros within a game of where the franchise has never been before - the World Series.
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The Houston Astros can put themselves in the playoffs. They no longer need help from anyone else. Roger Clemens, Jeff Kent and the Astros took over the NL wild-card lead Wednesday night, beating the St.
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St. Louis, MO -- Jeff Kent went 2-for-4 with four RBI to lead the Houston Astros over the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-3, in the finale of a three-game set at Busch Stadium.
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They say home is where the heart is but in the case of the Houston Astros a few wins would do just as nicely. Trailing 2-0 in the NLCS against the mighty St.
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Craig Biggio will be back with the Houston Astros next season. If Jeff Kent returns, it will be at a reduced rate.
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The Cleveland Indians pulled within one game of the AL Central lead, scoring four runs in the first inning and beating the Minnesota Twins 7-1 Saturday night behind home runs by Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez.
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Hall of Famer Roger Clemens was the  driving force behind Brandon Backe's sparkling pitching as the  Houston Astros beat the St Louis Cardinals 3-0 to take the lead  in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) Monday.
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Jeff Bagwell drives in two runs and Jeff Kent hit his 300th career homer to send the Astros to a 6-4 win over the Cardinals.
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HOUSTON - The Houston Astros are one win from completing an amazing late-season playoff push. Roy Oswalt became the NL&#39;s first 20-game winner, and Jeff Kent and Craig Biggio each homered twice, giving the
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On a night when pitching suddenly took over the NL playoffs, someone was bound to get a hit. Fortunately for the Houston Astros, Jeff Kent stepped up.
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He was never supposed to be in the big leagues, at least not as a pitcher. Brandon Backe grew up dreaming of hitting home runs. The Astros are fulfilling all kinds of fantasies these days.
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ST. LOUIS - Carlos Beltran hit a solo home run to give the Houston Astros a 1-0 lead over the St...
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Astros pitcher Brandon Backe hit his first career homer, a two-run shot, and allowed one run in seven innings to keep Houston in the thick of the NL wild-card chase with an 11-5 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
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Brandon Backe, a little-known local,  who arrived in the shadow of famous hometown heroes Roger  Clemens and Andy Pettitte last winter, brought the Houston  Astros to within a game of the franchise's first postseason  series victory in an 8-5 win over the Atlanta Braves Saturday.
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Ryan Langerhans hit a three-run homer, Jason Bergmann won for the first time in more than two months, and the Washington Nationals held on to edge the Houston Astros 7-6 Wednesday.
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Roger Clemens and the powerful Houston lineup made sure the Astros got off to a good start in their quest to finally win a playoff series. While Clemens continually pitched out of trouble, Brad Ausmus, Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltran and Jason Lane homered for the Astros to lead a 9-3 rout of the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their NL division series Wednesday.
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Houston Astros pitcher Brandon Backe got his first career homer, a two-run shot, and allowed one run in seven innings to keep the Astros in the thick of the NL wild-card chase with an 11-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday &#151; their season-high 10th straight victory.