Just a couple of lousy wins.

Hard to believe, but that's all the Houston Astros have to show for four trips into the playoffs behind Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. They've had a combined winning percentage of .551 over the last six regular seasons, but figure to be only a footnote in history because of a 2-12 postseason record during that stretch.

And time is running out.

	The Central Showdown
	The probable pitching matchups for the four-game series between the Cardinals and Astros, which begins on Thursday in Houston: Thursday: Chuck Finley (9-15, 4.32) vs. Carlos Hernandez (7-5, 4.50) Friday: Jason Simontacchi (10-5, 4.15) vs. Roy Oswalt (19-6, 2.84) Saturday: Woody Williams (8-4, 2.55) vs. Peter Munro (5-3, 2.97) Sunday: Matt Morris (16-7, 3.25) vs. Wade Miller (13-3, 3.58)

Biggio is 36 and moving like a man suffering from overexposure to Astroturf. Bagwell is 34 and is playing in pain because of an injured shoulder that can be repaired only with the riskiest of surgeries. They know there won't be many more chances to make up for lost time. That's why the Astros will take such a feeling of desperation into this weekend's four-game series against St. Louis.

Houston is 6½ games behind the Cardinals. The Astros plays the Cardinals seven times in the next 11 days and can't afford to win any fewer than five of those games.

This is not exactly 1998 all over again. That was the year the Astros were rolling toward 102 wins and carrying a not-so-secret weapon into October. His name, of course, was Randy Johnson.

Yet San Diego's Kevin Brown beat the Big Unit 2-1 in Game 1 of the Division Series at the Astrodome, Johnson lost again in Game 4 and the Astros still haven't recovered their mojo. This isn't likely to be the year, not given the 33-43 start they suffered as the lineup adjusted to the absence of Moises Alou and 2001 savior Vinny Castilla. Gone are the years when Bagwell and Biggio could blithely count on getting 'em next time around.

In Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller (a combined 19-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 24 starts since the All-Star break), the Astros may have the best combination of young starters in the majors. Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker, highly regarded assistant Tim Purpura and a strong scouting staff do a good job of keeping talent in the pipeline. But this franchise faces a severe economic challenge in the immediate future.

Owner Drayton McLane plans to keep the 2003 budget about where it was in 2002. At about $63.5 million, the Astros' payroll was the third largest in the National League Central, where nobody is likely to outspend St. Louis or the Cubs in this decade. But some close to the franchise fret that management won't be able to sustain the status quo given Houston's shattered economy and the fight for advertising dollars.

When Hunsicker had the resources to pull off the Johnson trade, the Astros owned the sports marketplace. But that has changed since the NFL returned to town. Forget the civic tumult about the Houston Texans' victory over the Cowboys on Sunday night. The most sobering day for McLane and his salesmen came a month earlier, when a Texans practice at Reliant Stadium outdrew an Astros game at the three-year-old jewel now known as Minute Maid Park.

	Jeff Bagwell, left, and Craig Biggio have been teammates in Houston for 12 years.

Oh yeah. Don't forget the NBA's Houston Rockets are about to welcome Yao Ming to town. And did we mention that Biggio and Bagwell are getting older?

Like Barry Bonds, the Killer B's deserve another chance in October. They've played the game the right way for too long to go out with a combined .150 batting average and only five RBI in 100 playoff at-bats. But with the Cardinals in the distance and both Los Angeles and San Francisco 5½ games ahead in the wild-card race, this could be the last gasp.

When this season is over, Hunsicker will go in search of a leadoff hitter (Houston leadoff hitters have a .316 on-base percentage, 13 stolen bases, 116 strikeouts and 41 walks), with his first preference being for one who plays center field. He'd also like to add a veteran starting pitcher, with the backup plan being to sign Shane Reynolds, who has been sidelined since undergoing back surgery in mid-June, to a contract with a low base salary and hope his back can hold up.

Hunsicker will have a little money to play with, as Reynolds and Dave Mlicki were earning almost $14 million between them this season. But he's obligated to pay Richard Hidalgo (.235-15-48) $22 million over the next two years. Lance Berkman is due his first big deal, as is set-up wizard Octavio Dotel. Miller and Oswalt won't be far behind them, as well.

Getting all these parts to fit will be a baseball decision for Hunsicker. It wasn't that way when the Biggio and Bagwell deals came together.

For McLane, Biggio and Bagwell have almost become family. He wasn't letting them go anywhere, even if it took a combined $118 million to keep them around.

But 2003 is the last year of the four-year, $33-million deal McLane gave Biggio before the 2000 season. It could also be his last in Houston, if not baseball.

Bagwell, who needs six more RBI for his seventh straight 100-RBI season, is signed through '06 with an option for '07. In the last two years of the deal, Bagwell will make as much as he and Biggio combined to earn this season.

Simply put, the Astros are hoping for the best, both with Bagwell's shoulder and the Houston economy.

Phil Rogers is the national baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune, which has a web site at www.chicagosports.com.