Astros  8    Diamondbacks  3

Houston Astros (28-32) at Arizona Diamondbacks (27-36), 4:10 p.m.

Sports Network | June 14, 2009

(Sports Network) - Right-hander Billy Buckner seeks his first Chase Field win of the season today, when the host Arizona Diamondbacks take on the visiting Houston Astros in the finale of the lone three-game series between National League teams of this weekend.

The teams have split the first two games, with Houston winning, 6-4, on Saturday behind the pitching of Roy Oswalt and the hitting of Lance Berkman and Miguel Tejada, each of whom reached personal milestones.

Berkman hit a two-run homer, giving him 300 for his career and making him only the seventh switch-hitter in MLB history to reach that number. Meanwhile, Tejada's only hit in the game was the 2,000th of his career.

Oswalt (3-3) gave up only one run on five hits and two walks and picked up the win. Chris Sampson surrendered three runs without recording an out in the eighth inning, but four other Astros relievers held Arizona scoreless the rest of the way.

The Astros dropped the opener of this three-game series on Friday, but rebounded to win for the third time in their past four contests.

Arizona starter Jon Garland (4-7) took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits and a walk in seven innings. Juan Gutierrez gave up three more runs in an inning of relief as the Diamondbacks had a two-game win streak broken.

Stephen Drew went 3-for-5 for the D-Backs, while Chris Young homered in Arizona's loss.

Buckner, a second-round pick of the Kansas City Royals in 2004, opened 2009 with the Diamondbacks by making three straight appearances out of the bullpen while allowing seven hits and seven runs in four innings.

He's 2-2 as a starter since, winning at Oakland and against the Los Angeles Dodgers while dropping home decisions against San Diego and San Francisco.

The 25-year-old Georgia native has been touched for 27 hits and 20 runs in just 14 2/3 innings of five home appearances, which includes the three relief outings. He gave up a season-high 13 hits and eight runs over 5 2/3 innings of his last start on Tuesday, dropping a 9-4 verdict to the Giants.

Buckner has never faced Houston.

He's opposed by Astros veteran Brian Moehler, who was also beaten in his last start and is winless in two tries since a complete-game defeat of Pittsburgh on May 29.

Against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, Moehler allowed eight hits and five runs in three innings of Houston's 7-1 loss, his fourth in six decisions this season.

He'd beaten the Cubs, 6-5, on May 17, then twirled nine innings of seven-hit, one-run ball in defeating the Pirates, 6-1, at PNC Park 12 days later.

Moehler, who's 2-1 in four road starts in 2009, is 1-1 in five career appearances against Arizona, posting a 5.82 earned run average in 21 2/3 innings.

The Diamondbacks went 4-2 against Houston last season and have won nine of the last 12 meetings between the teams. The Astros have lost seven of nine matchups held at Chase Field over that span.