HOUSTON – The Houston Astros were on their way to Atlanta on Sunday night for Monday’s Game 5 of their National League Division Series. The two-hour flight gave manager Phil Garner plenty of time to review his moves from Game 4.

There was much to think about, including:

Taking Roger Clemens out after the fifth inning.

“He was at the end of his rope,” Garner said. “As a matter of fact, he was on pure fumes. He got us through it. He had us in a good situation; we just couldn’t stop it. We let it slip away.”

Taking Craig Biggio out of the game after the sixth for defensive purposes in a 5-5 game and using Jason Lane in left field.

“I’ve been doing it all year,” Garner said. “When you get later in the game, I’ve made the double-switch in that situation. I do it in a tie game; I do it when we’re ahead. I don’t do it when we’re down.”

Said Biggio: “You want to be in there in those situations, but a move was made. I don’t second-guess anything.”

Pinch-hitting for Brad Lidge in the bottom of the eighth with runners at the corners and two outs. Orlando Palmeiro grounded out to end the inning. Palmeiro was 1-for-2 off Braves closer John Smoltz before that.

“We had an opportunity, and the way I did it, Palmeiro had some success off of Smoltz,” Garner said. “So, if I designed an opportunity to win a ballgame off of Smoltz, I’ve got Palmeiro in a situation to do it.”

By the way, Palmeiro was hitting in Biggio’s original spot in the order.

Not double-switching when Lidge came into the game (with one out in the eighth) so he could have pitched to more than two batters. The obvious candidate was Jeff Kent, who made the last out of the seventh.

“I wanted Kent to stay in the game,” Garner said. “I turned to our bench coach (John Tamargo) and said, “Kent will be a factor in this game.’

Having right-hander Russ Springer pitch to J.D. Drew, a left-handed hitter, after Rafael Furcal stole second with two outs. Furcal stole on the first pitch.

As far as the possibility of walking Drew, with right-handed hitter Marcus Giles on deck, Garner said, “Not intentionally. We gave him way too good of a pitch to hit.”

Said Springer: “You don’t go in there wanting to give him anything good to hit, but you never do. I tried to go inside with a fastball but got too much of the plate.”

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(c) 2004, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

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AP-NY-10-11-04 0133EDT