The Rocket-less Astros are currently first in arguably the toughest division in all of baseball. The NL Central has four out of five teams over the .500 mark, more than any other division in the major leagues. The Houston Astros 10-5 record is second best in the National League. All of this with out one of the greatest pitchers of all-time. The reason for the Astros? success is the fact that they are sixth in team pitching and second in team hitting amongst the National League. Hot starts from Morgan Ensberg and Lance Berkman have sparked the offense while Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez provided the pitching. Morgan Ensberg has been very good. He leads the team in several categories including batting average, homeruns, hits, and runs. Not only does Ensberg?s .415 batting average lead the team, it also leads the entire National League. Right up there with Ensberg is Lance Berkman. Berkman has hit six homeruns and drove in a team leading eighteen runs. His 18 RBI is third best in the National League trailing only Albert ?the Great? Pujols (20) and Andruw ?2005 was no fluke? Jones (23). Despite not having Roger Clemens, the pitching staff is sixth best in the National League. Roy Oswalt is the ace of the rotation and has sure pitched like it. In 29.1 innings pitched, Oswalt has only given up nine earned runs, achieving himself a .276 ERA. Oswalt has appeared in four games and has totaled 3 wins and a no decision. Roy Oswalt is getting help though. Fellow teammate and pitcher Wandy Rodriguez is on his way to having a career year. Expecting him to keep up his performance throughout the year is a lot to ask for, but the ?Magic Wand? wants to prove he can do it. His ERA currently sits at .284, which is second best on the Astros. Getting the lead is one thing, but closing it out is another. That?s where Brad Lidge comes in. Lidge has been successful in every save opportunity this year. The Astros closer has racked up 12 strikeouts in just 8.2 innings. With the Cubs superstar first baseman, Derrek Lee, going down for 8-10 weeks, gives the Astros a better chance to hold first place in the NL Central. The Cubbies were 9-5 with a healthy Lee, but with him going down, their offense is going to struggle. Great news for the Astros. It?s really amazing how good of a start the Astros have put together. I thought for sure without Roger Clemens, Houston would be missing a huge presence on the field and in the locker room. Instead, they have overcome the loss. It almost seems like they?re playing great to show Clemens that they are a contender. One thing is for sure, if Clemens comes back, the Astros chances of bringing home a World Series to the city of Houston, vastly increases.