Eric

Bruntlett

The move clears the way for the return of Andy Pettitte.

Jason Lane keeps his spot with Orlando Palmeiro returning. Bruntlett had been a fixture on the roster since the beginning of 2005. He’ll be back later this month or on Sept. 1 at the latest. In the meantime, Chris Burke will be the only alternative to Craig Biggio and Adam Everett up the middle.

Astros manager Phil Garner tried to shake things up a bit today, but it didn’t work out at all. Bruntlett started over Adam Everett at shortstop. Craig Biggio and Morgan Ensberg were on the bench, with Eric Munson and Jason Lane getting starts. Lane, who hasn’t been playing much against right-handers lately, actually hit third and had a double -- the club’s only extra-base hit -- in three at-bats.

The Astros overcame deficits in the ninth, 10th and 13th to win. Julian Tavarez was brought in to start the bottom of the 13th with a one run lead, but two of the first three hitters he faced had singles, putting men on first and third with one out. Manager Tony La Russa had Jose Vizcaino intentionally walked and brought in Ray King to face Orlando Palmeiro. A HBP tied the game, and Al Reyes was brought in. After Brad Ausmus flied to shallow right for out No. 2, Bruntlett hit a sinking liner that John Rodriguez dove for but could not catch.

Even with Morgan Ensberg, Willy Taveras, Chris Burke and Adam Everett all unavailable, Bruntlett was making just his second start in eight days. He’s probably not going to begin being worth using now.

Bruntlett, who had replaced Wily Taveras in center field earlier in the game after Craig Biggio had pinch-hit for Taveras, fouled off three straight pitches against Nationals reliever Hector Carrasco before depositing another 3-2 pitch over the fence in left field. He has six RBI over the last week, giving him eight for the season.

Bruntlett has driven in three runs in each of his last three starts, giving him a total of 11 on the season. Some managers might give him another start on Tuesday even if it is unlikely that he’ll continue to produce, but the Astros didn’t do that after the first two big games. Even if he were to start playing more often, he won’t be an asset in NL-only leagues.

Bruntlett improved his RBI total on the season by 250%, from 2 to 5. He’ll probably be back on the bench tomorrow.

The homer was just Burke’s fourth of the year and came with the Astros already up big in the ninth inning, but he’ll take it. Eric Bruntlett also had a big night, collecting three hits while driving in a career-high four runs with a pair of two-run doubles.

Everett’s injury may have cost him his starting job at shortstop. When asked if Everett or Eric Bruntlett would start manager Phil Garner remarked, “We will see.”