Five in a row. Eight straight home wins. 12 wins in their last 16 games. If you haven't been out to Minute Maid Park recently, then you're missing quite a show. The surging Houston Astros are one of the hottest teams in baseball and their being led by some clutch hitting by a mean sandwich called B.L.T. (Berkman, Lee and Tejada).

Lance Berkman, also known as Big Puma, 'cause he's agile and fast like a cat, has been on quite a tear recently. The former Rice Owl is 11-for-13 since Sunday with two HR's and six RBI. He even tied the franchise record last night with eight straight hits. Heck, even opposing managers are starting to get the jimmy legs when it comes to pitching to the Texan. Berkman had two intentional walks last night. For the season, Berkman has been his finest. The Triple Crown threat is batting .361 with 10 HR's and 33 RBI. If you're going to Yankee Stadium this year for the All-Star game, book on Berkman being there.

Carlos Lee, the $100-million cattleman from Panama, has been Mr. Clutch the past two games providing jaw-dropping game winning hits to keep the Astros winning streak alive. His big bat is sporting a .276 AVG with seven HR's and 21 RBI. Though he's not having a Berkman-like season at the plate, Lee is a regular for 30 HR's and 100 RBI, a stat should be good as gold this year with Matsui, Tejada and Berkman batting ahead of him.

And finally, there's Miguel Tejada. Tejada's free spirit and enthusiasm has been embraced by the team. Although this is Tejada's first year with the team; he is no doubt the leader of the team. He has taken charge on the field and can be seen regularly giving advice and assurance to the Astros pitching staff. His passion for the game is a breath of fresh air to Minute Maid Park. With Tejada on your team, you want to play, work and hustle harder. This home stand is proof of that. Winning is contagious and Tejada brings that to the ballpark everyday.

Tonight, Brandon Backe (2-3, 4.42) faces John Lannan (2-3, 3.74) as the Astros look to sweep the Washington Nationals. B.L.T. will be there looking to continue their dismantling of N.L. pitching. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Don't be late!

Photo: Flickr user Egidio y Lucia