Baseball

Star Turn
After a false start last season, Morgan Ensberg is a hit in Houston

After being named the Astros' starting third baseman coming out of spring training in 2002, Morgan Ensberg had an ominous thought: I'm not ready for this. Ensberg, a 26-year-old rookie at the time, was right. He hit .242 in his 2� months in the majors, during which he was benched, and then was sent down. "I felt burned out before the season even started," says Ensberg, who for three straight years had played winter ball with only four weeks off from baseball. "Last year was tough because I felt I was killing the team while I was in the lineup."

Since he began playing third regularly in late May, Ensberg has been hammering opponents. At week's end he led all NL third basemen in hitting (.294) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.979), and ranked third in home runs (19). More important, he was one of the main reasons that the Astros, despite suspect starting pitching (chart, right) and a drop-off in production from some of their big bats, were leading the NL Central by 2� games.

Here's why Houston was lucky that Ensberg found his groove: First baseman Jeff Bagwell endured the longest home run drought of his career between May 6 and June 13 and was hitting 24 points below his career .300 average; second baseman Jeff Kent, who came to the team as a free agent in the off-season, has been slowed by tendinitis in his left wrist and was on pace to have fewer than 100 RBIs for the first time in seven years; and leadoff hitter and centerfielder Craig Biggio had a 345 on-base percentage, 70 points below his career high.

"Morgan has been the guy who's carried us through stretches this season," says Bagwell, who had nine homers and 20 RBIs since July 1. "He's gotten huge clutch hits and has kept us where we needed to be."

Ensberg's turnaround began when he modified his batting stance after he was shipped to Triple A New Orleans last year. The righthanded hitter had been standing with his feet spread wide apart and his bat held at arm's length from his chest. Ensberg brought his feet 10 inches closer together, brought his arms closer to his body and bent his bat over his right shoulder, which made it easier for him to catch up to inside pitches and fastballs.

During the off-season Ensberg skipped winter ball for the first time since 1998 and stayed home in Orlando, where he began what he calls a mental cleansing. "The big difference this year hasn't been my swing or anything on the field," says Ensberg. "It's been in my head. Now I know I belong."

Ensberg isn't the only Astro who's turned his fortunes around. Rightfielder Richard Hidalgo, who hit .258 with a total of 34 home runs over the past two years, is close to his form in 2000, when he had a breakout season (.314, 44 home runs). The 28-year-old slugger was hitting a team-best .323 with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs through Sunday.

This Houston team will most likely have to bat its way to the playoffs. The bullpen, second in the league with a 3.23 ERA, has been a strength, but the starting rotation had a collective 4.35 ERA, and the top two starters, Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller, were a combined 13-14.

"We need our top two pitchers to step up," says Astros G.M. Gerry Hunsicker. "But the fact that we're in first place and the offense has performed nowhere near its potential gives us reason to be very optimistic."