(My Sportsbook) - The civil thing for the San Francisco Giants crowd to do would have probably been to give former hometown favorite Jeff Kent a nice cheer upon his return on Monday night.

However, a warm reception wasn't in the cards for Kent, as most of the San Francisco fans booed the 2000 NL MVP when he stepped to the plate in a Houston uniform. In the offseason, Kent couldn't come to a contract agreement with the Giants and bolted for the Lone Star State. The Giants' fans hadn't forgotten and showed their displeasure with him, while a few cheers arose.

"Fans here appreciate good baseball," Kent said. "The Giants have been giving it to them the last six years and they're doing it again. It's hard to play them right now. They are on a roll and you can see their confidence."

A three-time All-Star with San Francisco, Kent hit.299 and averaged 29 homers during his time in San Francisco. He also helped lead the Giants to the World Series last year.

Kent had a decent night against his old club, going 1-for-2 with a RBI and two walks. San Francisco twirler Damian Moss seemed to avoid Kent's bat in the 4-2 Houston defeat.

"He's an All-Star second baseman," Moss said. "He's one of the guys you don't want to beat you. He's a good hitter and you want to get him out."

Jeff Bagwell was the only other Astro to produce any offense, as he went 2- for-3 with a walk. Houston mustered just seven hits and two runs in the losing effort.

The defeat was the Astros' third straight on the heels of a three-game winning streak. With the loss, Houston slipped into a three-way tie atop the Central Division with St. Louis and Pittsburgh. The Chicago Cubs lurk just a half game behind the trio in the standings.

WHO'S HOT

Bagwell has been on a tear early in the season, hitting .378 with five homers and nine RBI. Bagwell is second in the NL in homers, third in batting average and third in slugging percentage (.733). The veteran has scored eight runs and drawn seven walks on the year as well.

WHO'S NOT

Lance Berkman has gotten off to a very slow start in 2003, hitting just .231 with a homer and two RBI. Berkman has walked eight times and struck out six during his struggles. The 27-year-old did have a nice game on Sunday, going 3- for-5 with a homer and two RBI.

COMING UP

The Astros have a pair of games remaining against San Francisco in their three-game set at Pac Bell Park. Houston is in the midst of a 13-game road trip which will include trips to Milwaukee, New York and Montreal.