Clemens is not just one of the best pitchers of all time, he is an innings eater. The Astros have been lacking that quality in several starting pitchers this year, and Clemens' presence will not only strengthen the rotation, it'll help the bullpen, too.

To put it in perspective, consider how many innings Astros relievers had logged this season after Wednesday's game: 168. Projected over a full season, the bullpen will have pitched 504 innings.

Last year, over a full season, the relievers threw 414 innings. That means, at this pace, the bullpen will have logged 90 more innings than it did in '05.

In 2005, Clemens pitched into the seventh inning 23 times. That stat alone should make this year's bullpen breathe a sigh of ... well, relief.

"Rocket has had a history of pitching deep into ballgames," manager Phil Garner said. "When put with [Andy] Pettitte and [Roy] Oswalt, two guys that will pitch deep into ballgames also, it allows you not to overtax your bullpen and put you in a situation where you use them out of what you have slotted for.

"I like to use [Chad] Qualls, [Dan] Wheeler and [Brad] Lidge in that order. Now, there's going to be a whole bunch of games where we won't have to use them. That means they're going to be ready to go. I won't have to pitch them in situations just to get through innings or try to keep them from scoring more runs against us. That's how he helps the bullpen, by getting us deep into ballgames.

"Rocket is a major piece to the puzzle. He's not the puzzle. You've got to have a Pettitte, you've got to have an Oswalt. Then, when you put the Rocket with it, it really completes the picture."

Odd man out? When Clemens returns, one of the three starters in the back end of the rotation will be bumped. No. 3 starter Wandy Rodriguez appears to be safe, considering he's leading the club with six wins and has an impressive 3.95 ERA over 11 starts.

That leave Fernando Nieve and Taylor Buchholz, both of whom have had their share of outings that ranged from decent to forgettable.

Garner has no intentions of making any decisions right away.

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"We'll see what happens," he said. "There's no reason to set that up now. We're going to have some time before [Clemens] pitches. We'll let the guys pitch. We don't know where there might be injury or something else.

"Certainly, Wandy has pitched well. He's been our most consistent guy of our three young starters. I would expect him to continue to pitch that way. We don't need to make a decision on that. I certainly won't make an announcement on that until later."

Slight setback: After Craig Biggio knocked his two-run homer on Tuesday, he high-fived third base coach Doug Mansolino with his left hand -- a most unusual move considering Biggio's right-handed and Mansolino stands to the baserunner's right as he rounds third.

Apparently, Biggio hit his right shoulder on a dive play in the first inning Monday and felt a degree of discomfort that lingered into the second game of the series in St. Louis.

"I woke up this morning, it was sore," Biggio said prior to Wednesday's game. "I came in, got some treatment and got it done. I was able to get through it yesterday, and today, it was better."

Biggio did not start Wednesday's game, but pinch-hit in the sixth inning. He anticipates no further issues when the Astros begin their 10-game homestand Friday.

Hogwash: The friendship between Pettitte and Clemens is well-documented and often talked about, but perhaps the comaraderie between the two has been blown just a bit out of proportion.

As the rumors gained steam this week regarding Clemens' pending return to the Astros, so did the speculation that Pettitte's slow start to the season is related to his being lost without his good pal Rocket.

Most who know Pettitte would vehemently argue that point. This is not the Skipper and his little buddy Gilligan. Pettitte, one of the most successful left-handers of this era, has four World Series rings -- two of which he won without Clemens as his Yankees teammate.

Pettitte didn't want to say much about the topic, but he did admit he's received some good-natured ribbing from his teammates.

"It's a big joke fest, a big rag fest," Pettitte said. "[Clemens is] like a brother to me. If that's what comes along with being a good friend of his ... I keep saying he's the greatest pitcher to ever play the game. I guess that's what comes along with running around with the greatest pitcher who ever played the game sometimes."

Coming up: The Astros begin a 10-game homestand Friday as they welcome the division rival Reds to Minute Maid Park. Rodriguez (6-2, 3.95 ERA) will face Cincinnati right-hander Aaron Harang (5-4, 3.70 ERA).