Astros even series with new Killer B's

HOUSTON -- Julian Tavarez must have forgotten about Carlos Beltran when he said the Cardinals didn't think the Houston Astros were so special.\nBeltran struck again Sunday, homering in a record fifth straight postseason game and lifting the Astros over St. Louis 6-5 to even the NL championship series at 2.\n"There's no better feeling," he said.\nBefore Game 1, the excitable Tavarez upset the Astros with this assessment:\n"We don't look at the Houston Astros like this is a great team. They are good, but we are better than them. We are the best because we've got 108 wins. We've proved it."\nRight now, no one's better than Beltran.\nHe launched a tiebreaking shot off Tavarez in the seventh inning into the Houston bullpen, reaching way down to golf a 2-2 slider over the right-field wall.\n"Barry Bonds is the best hitter in baseball. I don't think he could have hit that pitch," Tavarez said. "I can't believe he hit it."\nBeltran ensured the teams will go back to Busch Stadium to settle who goes to the World Series. Meantime, there's Game 5 Monday night, with Brandon Backe starting for Houston against Woody Williams.\nBeltran broke the record set by Jeffrey Leonard and tied by Juan Gonzalez in 1996 for consecutive postseason games with a home run. He also matched Bonds' 2002 record for homers in a single postseason.\n"This is as good as I've ever seen anybody swing the bat, not just Carlos Beltran," Astros manager Phil Garner said. "He's some kind of locked in."\nBeltran is getting richer and richer with each swing. The switch-hitting, All-Star center fielder might be the prime free agent on the market once the season ends -- at this moment, he's aiming for a ring.\n"I'm just being relaxed, patient at the plate," Beltran said.\nAlbert Pujols homered for St. Louis, then came close to a go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth against Brad Lidge. But the ball was caught on the warning track, and the Astros closer struck out Scott Rolen for his second straight save.\nLance Berkman also homered for Houston, giving the teams a combined 19 home runs through only four games.