KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- When Roger Clemens finished with his work with the Minor Leaguers on Sunday, he stopped by one of the fields where the Astros were wrapping up practice and made his way to Jason Lane.

The two shook hands, embraced and spoke for a few minutes before Clemens made his way into the Astros' clubhouse to say hello to old and perhaps future teammates.

Clemens and Lane were never known as close friends, but it turns out that the two spent a bit of time together over the winter after the future Hall of Famer reached out to the struggling outfielder.

The two crossed paths at a social event, and Lane told Clemens he was headed to winter ball to work on his swing. Clemens invited Lane to his home, in order to help Lane shake off some rust before he headed to Venezuela.

"He offered," Lane said. "He said, 'You need to see some live stuff,'" Lane recalled. "He called me and told me to come over."

Clemens threw to both Lane and Koby Clemens, and he also spent time talking about "focus, concentration and mentality at the plate," Lane said. "If there's anyone who knows about that, it's him."

Lane, who is fighting for a job this spring after having a subpar season in 2006, was grateful for the shoulder to lean on.

"We talked a lot," Lane said. "He's always telling me about how to approach situations, keep grinding on, not to give in to what other people are saying or what might be going on. He said, 'Keep your mind strong, keep grinding, doing little things.'"

Contract talk: Astros general manager Tim Purpura and Jason Jennings' agent, Casey Close, haven't started talking dollar figures yet, but Purpura hasn't ruled out the negotiation process spilling into the season.

Neither side appears to be in a hurry to work out a long-term deal for Jennings, but talks could be ongoing this season if the right-hander is willing. Often, players prefer to table the conversation until after the season is finished.

"It's always a matter of how much distraction it causes a player," Purpura said. "From our point of view, it's not a distraction. We can work around that. But some guys want to settle into a comfort level and not have [contract talks] come around."

Proud new dad: Eric Bruntlett flew five hours and skipped three time zones Saturday, traveling from his home in northern California to the Astros' spring home in central Florida.

Exhausted but elated, Bruntlett joined the Astros Sunday morning, four days after his wife, Eden, gave birth to their first child, a girl they named Kathryn (Kate) Lyla.

"This is the most excited I can possibly be," Bruntlett said. "It's unbelievable."

Sprained ankle: Troy Patton appeared to be more embarrassed than anything while discussing his sprained left ankle, suffered while tripping on a sprinkler during a jog Saturday.

"I should be fine in a few days," the left-hander said. "I'm still playing catch, so my arm's not going to miss any time."

Patton received treatment Sunday morning and responded well enough to participate in morning drills, minus the running.

Intrasquad competition: The Astros will play an intrasquad game Tuesday at the Osceola County Stadium main field in Kissimmee. Brad Lidge will start for one team, followed by Fernando Nieve, Paul Estrada, Felipe Paulino and Ezequiel Astacio. This club's lineup will be: SS Adam Everett, 1B Mike Lamb, CF Hunter Pence, 3B Morgan Ensberg, RF Richard Hidalgo, 2B Brooks Conrad, LF Charlton Jimerson, C Humberto Quintero, and DH Kevin Davidson.

Wandy Rodriguez will start for the other club, followed by Matt Albers, Dave Borkowski, Chris Sampson and Mark McLemore. This team's lineup will be: CF Chris Burke, SS Mark Loretta, RF Luke Scott, 1B Jason Lane, 3B Eric Munson, LF Josh Anderson, 2B Cody Ransom, C Lou Santangelo, and DH Mike Rodriguez.