Game 2. Clemens vs. Smoltzie. Let's get it on.

8:20 p.m. FOX shows our defensive lineup. Man, what a breath of fresh air. Langerhans in left, McCann at catcher. I’m so happy right now.

8:21 p.m. Sha’zaam! Smoltzie strikes out Biggio on three pitches. Hey, if it’s all downhill from here, at least the leadoff batter isn’t scoring.

8:23 p.m. Frick. Taveras bloops a single over Marcus's head and Berkman lines a single to center. Two on, one out now for Morgan "He only killed us all day" Ensberg.

8:24 p.m. Smoltzie's slider is nasty tonight. He got Biggio to whiff at two of them, including strike 3, and he just made Ensberg look weak in this at-bat. Ensberg grounds into a fielder's choice, Taveras gets forced out at third. Two on, two out for Jason Lane.

8:27 p.m. Dammit! Lane laces one into left field and drives in Berkman from second. I thought Langerhans's throw to the plate was on target, but McCann couldn't handle it off the hop.

8:29 p.m. We’re only 9 2/3 innings into the series, but I’m amazed at how frequently the Astros are getting on base against us. Minus Berkman and Ensberg, they’re pretty awful up and down, with .300 to .315 regular-season OBP’s throughout the lineup. This shouldn't be happening.

8:30 p.m. Smoltz intentionally walks Orlando Palmeiro after running the count full. Bases loaded now for Adam Everett. This may be a good time to grab a soda from the fridge -- here comes an easy out.

8:31 p.m. Whiff!! There’s that slider again. Everett strikes out to end the inning. Not an ideal start. Smoltzie labors through 25 pitches and allows one run.

8:34 p.m. Ugh. FOX just showed our lineup. I don’t understand why Bobby insists on batting Adam Laroche 5th. He’s been doing that nearly all season. Obviously it’s to make the lineup lefty, righty, lefty, righty, lefty, righty. But again, who cares if Laroche is left-handed if he sucks?

8:37 p.m. You gotta appreciate Marcus. Always fights in his at-bats and works deep counts. He just flied out to center, but at least he made Clemens work for the out by throwing seven pitches. It’d be great if we could follow Marcus’s lead and get the Rocket out of the game by the 6th.

8:44 p.m. I’m telling you, Smoltzie’s slider has some bite tonight. Ausmus whiffs. One out. Here comes Clemens.

8:45 p.m. FOX’s sideline reporter tonight is Pam Oliver. This isn’t really important. I just thought this would be a good time to note that she has one gigantic grill.

8:47 p.m. What the hell? Smoltz has Biggio 1-2 and throws a fastball in, Biggio hits a single up the middle. A fastball in the zone on 1-2? Had to have missed his spot.

8:48 p.m. I LOVE YOU, WILLY TAVERAS! You gotta love the teams whose #2 hitters are so bad that they have to resort to bunting. Chipper makes a nice play to throw out Taveras, who bunted toward third on the second pitch of the at-bat. Smoltz needed an easy inning after the first. His pitch count’s up to 40 now after 2 innings.

8:50 p.m. My friend Jeff just calls me and recites a line from the Elisha Cuthbert classic “The Girl Next Door”: “Sam-Yang!!!!!!!!!” Jeff’s four favorite movies of all-time are “Three Amigos,” “Scent of a Woman,” “Euro Trip,” and “The Girl Next Door.” I have some weird friends.

8:51 p.m. Here’s the problem with batting a bad hitter #5. He’s batting immediately after two of your best on-base threats. After Andruw lines a single to left to lead the inning off, Laroche comes to the plate and bunts Andruw over to second. First of all, we’re lucky it didn’t result in a double play, because it was an ugly bunt. Second of all, if Laroche is so incapable of hitting Clemens that he has to bunt with a runner on base, why bat him so high? It really makes no sense.

8:54 p.m. WOW. Of all the people Clemens could walk on our team, he walks Jeff Francoeur, Mr. Free Swinger himself. A 7-pitch walk. Ordinarily, it takes Francouer 4 at-bats to see that many pitches.

9:01 p.m. BRIAN MCCANN!!!!!!! BRIAN MCCANN HITS A 3-RUN HOMER!!!!! BRIAN MCCANN HITS A 3-RUN HOMER!!!!!

9:02 p.m. Memo to Bobby Cox: Brian McCann is our starting catcher!

9:03 p.m. I can’t stress this enough: Brian McCann is our starting catcher.

9:10 p.m. Still doing flips over McCann’s home run.

9:13 p.m. They just showed Burger King’s new commercial for the BK Joe. Frightening. Absolutely frightening.

9:14 p.m. Here we go in the bottom of the 3rd. During Raffy’s at-bat, the announcer mentions that Raffy is a free-agent at the end of the season. I’d be happy either way, whether we sign him or let him go. Really depends how much he thinks he’s worth. As much as I like having him as a Brave, I hope he doesn’t suddenly think he’s a top 3 shortstop and demand Jeter money. I don’t know. We could put Wilson Betemit at short and use the money we didn’t spend on Raffy on a first baseman, hopefully.

9:16 p.m. Chipper draws a 5-pitch walk after Raffy sees 3 pitches and Marcus sees only 1. Thanks for making me look stupid, Marcus. I’d love to see Andruw put a charge into one right here.

9:17 p.m. Whoosh! The announcer gets it right – Andruw hits “a bullet” to left center. First and third now for…… FRICK. Adam Laroche. Dammit! Why even bother?

9:20 p.m. I LOVE THE REVERSE JINX! Laroche hits one to left center that gets past a diving Orlando Palmeiro. Chipper and Andruw score. 5-1 Bravos!!! I guess one B.S. double deserves another – Andy Pettitte, I’m looking at you.

9:25 p.m. What’s gotten into Francouer? First he walks, now he works an 8-pitch at-bat? He just struck out, but that’s still good to see.

9:28 p.m. Due up in the top of the 4th inning for the Astros are Adam Everett, Brad Ausmus, and Roger Clemens. Or as they are collectively known: “Inning Over.”

9:31 p.m. Inning over.

9:31 p.m. Just what the doctor ordered for Smoltzie. 9 pitches, three quick outs. Now let’s get Clemens out of the game in the 4th!

9:36 p.m. Langerhans leads off the 4th with a single. Brian Jordan wouldn't have done that..... Here comes McCann! I just realized his homer came in his first postseason at-bat. How great is this kid? He’s the anti-Estrada.

9:37 p.m. Bleh. McCann grounds into a fielder's choice. My response: Hey, at least he's not Johnny Estrada!

9:39 p.m. After Smoltz sacrificed McCann to second, Raffy hits a grounder to Ensberg, who misplays the hop and let’s the ball go into left field. First and third, 2 outs, and Marcus is up. Let’s get Clemens out right now!

9:41 p.m. Raffy steals 2nd. Totally unnecessary, and risky with a strikeout pitcher like Clemens on the mound. He made it, but I don’t like it, especially with one of our better hitters at the plate with runners on.

9:41 p.m. Marcus grounds out to short. Clemens’s pitch count is up to 69 after 4. BEAUTY.

9:45 p.m. Leading off in the top of the 5th..... Biggio bites on that slider again, down and away, and strikes out for the second time tonight. Here comes the #9 hitter who’s batting #2, AKA Willy Taveras.

9:47 p.m. I should know better than to jinx myself. Taveras singles.

9:48 p.m. BEAUTY! Berkman grounds into a 4-6-3 double play. Smoltz’s line through 5 innings: 6 H, ER, BB, 5 K, 73 pitches. Let’s blow this one open so we don’t have to overextend Smoltzie tonight.

9:56 p.m. Man, a lot of great at-bats by our guys today. Laroche works yet another full count and then draws a two-out walk from Clemens, who’s up to 87 pitches now in the 5th.

9:57 p.m. Clemens gets out of the inning with no runs, no hits, one walk, but not before throwing 23 pitches. His pitch count after 5 innings: 93. I'm assuming his night's over.

10:00 p.m. Heading into the 6th inning with a 4-run lead against the Astros, it’s time to start asking how many pitches we want Smoltzie to throw tonight. Due up in the 6th are Ensberg, Lane, and Palmeiro. The way things are going for Smoltz right now, hopefully we can get Chris Reitsma into the game by the 8th inning without being too on edge, or, you know, having to worry about blowing the game.

10:06 p.m. Thank you, Orlando Palmeiro! After his inning-ending, one-pitch at-bat, Smoltz completes a 1-2-3 inning with only 10 pitches. His count after 6 innings: 83 pitches.

10:09 p.m. Woo-hoo! Clemens done after 5 innings. Brandon Backe’s in to start the 6th.

Clemens’s final line: 5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 92 pitches.

Pretty shocking that he has more walks than strikeouts. Only two K’s for the Rocket. Wow.

10:10 p.m. Langerhans gets his second single of the game. I think this means Brian Jordan’s season is over. (Fingers crossed.) I’m so happy Langerhans started today. You don’t even know. You don’t even KNOW!

10:12 p.m. Smoltz’s pitches per inning so far:

1st: 25
2nd: 15
3rd: 15
4th: 9
5th: 9
6th: 10

Just a great, efficient performance.

10:16 p.m. DUDE. Adam Everett leads off the 7th by popping up the first pitch he sees, then Ausmus grounds out on the second pitch he sees. Now THESE are the Astros we all know and love.

10:21 p.m. With two outs, runner on 2nd, and Biggio up, this looks like Smoltz’s last batter. He’s been pacing around the mound and stretching an awful lot in between at-bats. Just doesn’t look comfortable right now.

10:22 p.m. OH WHAT A PLAY BY CHIPPER!! He just dove to snag a Biggio liner and gunned him out to end the inning. The way I feel right now in the 7th inning is like the complete opposite of the way I felt yesterday.

10:24 p.m. Snack break.

10:38 p.m. Hahaha. Pam Oliver just told us that after last night’s loss, Jeff Francoeur went home and played video games for five hours. Man, she has one huge grill.

10:41 p.m. Smoltz’s night is over, Reitsma’s in to start the 8th with a 7-1 lead. At the risk of jinxing myself, I think we’re safe.

Smoltz’s final line: 7 IP, 7 H, ER, BB, 5 K, 93 pitches.

The way Smoltz looked after each at-bat, stretching out, pacing and grimacing, I hope this series doesn’t have to go 5 games so we don’t need to bring Smoltz back on 3 days’ rest.

10:48 p.m. Ensberg flies out to right for the second out of the 8th inning. After going 3 for 4 with 5 RBI, a walk, and a run scored in Game 1, Ensberg finishes tonight 0 for 4. I'm lovin' it.

Alright, this game's in the bag.

The biggest difference tonight, besides replacing Jordan and Estrada with Langerhans and McCann, was that we only allowed one walk after allowing nine last night. That’s huge.

What more can you say about Smoltzie? You gotta love him.

Going back to Turner with the series tied, 1-1.