Houston Astros (36-38) at San Diego Padres (33-42), 10:05 p.m.

Sports Network | June 30, 2009

(Sports Network) - The Houston Astros shoot for their seventh consecutive win over the San Diego Padres tonight, when the two ballclubs resume a four-game series at Petco Park.

Houston made it six straight wins over the Padres with Monday's 3-1 victory in the series opener, as staff ace Roy Oswalt allowed just one run on two hits for his 17th career complete game and second in the past three starts.

Oswalt, who improved to 10-2 over 13 starts against San Diego, struck out eight batters and issued two walks to even his 2009 record to 4-4.

"That was a great performance by Roy," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said on the team's official Web site. "With the exception of the fourth inning, he was in total command. I thought even in the fourth, he really pitched well there to get out of that with just one [run] and probably should have got out of that with none. He was in command all night long. He was a lot like the Roy we've seen in the past."

Oswalt retired the last 18 batters he faced after loading the bases in the fourth inning with no outs. He threw 110 pitches, 74 for strikes.

Ivan Rodriguez homered and Carlos Lee ended with a pair of hits and an RBI for the Astros, who have won four of their last five games and are four games off the lead in the National League Central division. Geoff Blum was credited with the other RBI in the win.

Houston will also visit San Francisco on its seven-game trip.

Mike Hampton is expected to be activated off of the disabled list in order to make this evening's start. Hampton, who has been bothered by a groin strain, had a personal two-start winning streak stopped in his last outing on June 12 at Arizona. He was dealt the loss for yielding three runs on eight hits and five walks in five innings of his team's 8-1 setback.

The veteran left-hander had won three of four decisions before losing to the Diamondbacks, and is 4-5 with a 4.70 earned run average in 12 trips to the mound this season.

Hampton is 3-3 in six road starts in 2009 and 6-10 with a 5.17 ERA in 29 career games (25 starts) against San Diego.

He last faced the Padres on August 19, 2005 as a member of Atlanta and was roughed up in the 12-7 defeat. Hampton suffered the loss after giving up seven runs and 11 hits over just 3 1/3 innings of work.

San Diego had its two-game winning streak stopped with last night's loss and suffered its 11th defeat in 16 tries. Scott Hairston and Everth Cabrera each had a hit for the Padres, who got a decent performance from losing pitcher Josh Geer. He yielded three runs and seven hits over seven frames to fall to 1-3 this season.

"I felt really good, I was keeping it down in the zone," Geer said on San Diego's Web site. "I'm feeling more and more comfortable. It's unfortunate we didn't score many runs tonight."

The Padres will also host the Los Angeles Dodgers on their seven-game homestand.

Josh Banks will make his first start since last August when he takes the mound for San Diego tonight. Banks is 0-0 with a 2.84 earned run average in two relief appearances this season, and last pitched on Thursday at Seattle's Safeco Field, where the right-hander gave up two runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings of a 9-3 setback to the Mariners.

Banks, whose previous start was August 24, 2008 against San Francisco, has never faced Houston in his career.

Houston swept a three-game series with San Diego from May 8-10 of this season.