"Carlos Lee might be in the midst of a bad — make that ghastly — year by his standards, but he has managed to remain atop the Astros' leader board in run production.

Whether that serves as consolation for Lee or an indictment on how the rest of the team has fared at the plate is up for debate.

What was certain Wednesday afternoon was Lee's ability to impact the Astros' chances of running away with a game that otherwise might have been tough to claim.

Lee homered twice and drove in four runs in a span of two innings, and the Astros claimed their fourth consecutive series against the Chicago Cubs with an 8-1 come-from-behind victory before 28,046 at Minute Maid Park.

"It's been so hard for me to get a hit, and all of a sudden I get two homers in one game," said Lee. "We'll never figure this game out." "