"Astros manager Brad Mills proved to be prophetic.

In returning slumping left fielder Carlos Lee to the cleanup spot Sunday, Mills explained, "I know he's struggling a little bit and so forth, but with a lefthanded pitcher in this ballpark, it's nice to have his bat in there."

Lee scored the Astros' first run and drove home the next three with a sixth-inning homer off lefty Chris Narveson in a 5-0 victory.

Lee finished 2-for-3, lifting has average from .194 to .207, before running into a problem Mills couldn't possibly foresee.

After a seventh-inning collision with shortstop Angel Sanchez, Lee got carted off the field with injured left ribs and spent Sunday night at Methodist Hospital. After an X-ray and a CT scan, doctors determined Lee has a left rib contusion, and his status is day-to-day."