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The annual battle for the coveted Silver Boot kicks off Friday when the Houston Astros come to Arlington for a three-game series. The Rangers visit Houston in June. So, just in case you haven't been paying attention to your baseball neighbors to the southeast, here's a quick look at why the Astros were sitting a game above .500 (18-17) heading into Mother's Day weekend:

Off the field, it's been a rough go since Miguel Tejada landed in Houston. He was named prominently in the Mitchell Report, called out publicly by Rep. Henry Waxman, and was ambushed by ESPN over a discrepancy on his birth certificate (he turns 34 on May 25, not 32 as was previously thought). On the field? No problem. He went into the weekend hitting .336 and has a .912 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (third among major league shortstops). Not bad for a guy about to turn 34. Or 32.

Last year, when a certain baseball writer picked him to be NL MVP, Lance Berkman obviously couldn't handle the pressure. He had career-low numbers in batting average (.278), OBP (.386) and slugging (.510). This year, he's rebounded. After a month, he's a leading candidate for the Sextuple Crown. He's second in the NL in homers (11), RBIs (33) and batting average (.368), third in OBP (.449), and first in slugging (.752) and on-base-plus-slugging (1.201).

Rangers Ballpark seems to bring out the best in Roy Oswalt. And the worst in his lineup. In his last five starts in Arlington, Oswalt, who will start Saturday, sports a 2.68 ERA, but he's just 2-3. The problem? In the last four games, the Astros have scored two or fewer runs. Oh, and don't let Oswalt's 5.33 ERA this season lull you into thinking he's off. In his last four starts, he's 3-0 with a 3.55 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 33 innings.

In their first 18 games, the Astros had two three-game losing streaks. In the next 17, they've had a pair of five-game winning streaks and another three-game skid. The reason: Pitching. Duh. When they win, the Astros have a 3.16 ERA; in losses, it was 6.06 going into the weekend.