Lance Berkman took longer than expected to heal from a bruised left knee, and when team physician David Lintner examined the joint, he called for surgery to remove loose particles.

The procedure was performed Saturday, and Berkman was expected to miss two to four weeks. That left him questionable for opening day.

"It's not a sharp pain," Berkman said before the operation. "It's just an achy, constant thing."

With the soreness not going away, the Astros decided to go ahead with the surgery in the hopes that they could get it out of the way and have him ready for the season opener April 5.

"I felt like there was a pretty good chance from the first episode that we might have to get this done," Berkman said.

Berkman injured the knee in a baserunning drill...

Johan Santana struggled in his first game since August, allowing four runs on six hits in 1 2-3 innings, and the Houston Astros beat the New York Mets 8-4 on Tuesday. Kaz Matsui hit a solo homer for the first of four straight hits in the first inning off Santana, who struck out one and walked one. The left-hander made it through the short outing with no setbacks as he continues to build strength...

Toronto manager Cito Gaston thinks Ricky Romero is a much improved pitcher now that he has some experience. The 25-year-old left-hander pitched three shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out two in the Blue Jays' 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Monday. Rivera went 13-9 in 29 starts as a rookie last season.

This time last year, Tommy Hanson was a confident prospect who knew it wouldn't be long until he made the major leagues. After a half-season rising through the Atlanta Braves system, Hanson made his major league debut and surprised no one, going 11-4 in 21 starts for the Braves. Now, his confidence is just as high.