Astros  3    Dodgers  0

Houston Astros (44-44) at Los Angeles Dodgers (56-32), 10:10 p.m.

Sports Network | July 16, 2009

(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Dodgers proved they can still win games without having Manny Ramirez at their disposal. The team has been virtually invincible at home, however, when the superstar slugger has been a part of the lineup.

Ramirez will make his first appearance at Dodger Stadium since completing his 50-game suspension when National League West-leading Los Angeles starts up a four-game series with the Houston Astros this evening.

The veteran outfielder began his penalty for violating baseball's policy on performance enhancing drugs on May 7 and did not return to action until the Dodgers began a nine-game, three-city road trip on July 3. Prior to Ramirez's suspension, Los Angeles won each of its first 13 games at Dodger Stadium to establish a new modern-day record for the best home start to a season.

The Dodgers didn't stumble in Ramirez's absence, compiling a 29-21 record and maintaining a comfortable lead atop the NL West. The team entered the All-Star break with a seven-game advantage on San Francisco for the division's top spot.

Ramirez hasn't shown any signs of rust as well. In nine games since being reinstated, the enigmatic 37-year-old has gone 11-for-29 (.379) with three home runs and nine RBI and has hit safely in his last six contests.

In his most recent outing, Ramirez went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored to help the Dodgers close out the first half with a 7-4 victory over Milwaukee at Miller Park.

Orlando Hudson belted a pair of solo home runs, one from each side of the plate, while James Loney stroked a two-RBI single in the win. Starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (7-5) did his part on the mound for Los Angeles, with the young lefty yielding one run and just two hits over the first six innings.

Ramirez and his teammates will be taking their swings tonight against Wandy Rodriguez, who closed out a strong first half with his best showing of the season in his last start.

Against Pittsburgh on July 8, Rodriguez matched a personal high by racking up 11 strikeouts and fired a five-hitter for his second career shutout. It was the third consecutive winning decision for the left-hander, who limited San Diego to one run over seven innings in his previous start back on July 2.

In 18 starts this season, Rodriguez has posted an 8-6 record along with an impressive 2.96 earned run average and has fanned 106 batters in 112 2/3 innings.

Rodriguez pitched well in an April 23 encounter with the Dodgers in Houston, although he wound up on the short end of a 2-0 decision after allowing one run in six innings of work. He is 2-2 with a 3.23 ERA in six lifetime appearances (5 starts) against Los Angeles.

Randy Wolf gets the assignment for the Dodgers in the series opener and will also be attempting to build off a winning performance in his last mound trip. The veteran lefty halted a seven-start winless streak by holding the New York Mets to two runs over 6 1/3 innings in an 11-2 Los Angeles triumph at Citi Field on July 9.

Wolf is just 4-3 on the season, but he's given up two runs or fewer in 12 of his 19 starts and produced a solid 3.45 ERA for the first half. Opposing hitters are batting just .237 against him for the year.

The 32-year-old spent the final two-plus months of last season in an Astros uniform after being acquired from San Diego just prior to the July 31 deadline. Wolf went 6-2 in 12 starts with Houston and pitched to a 3.57 ERA over 70 2/3 innings.

Wolf returned to Minute Maid Park on April 22 and received a no-decision against his former team after permitting four runs over seven innings. He is 4-4 with a 3.89 ERA in 12 lifetime starts versus the Astros.

Houston begins the second half trailing first-place St. Louis by 3 1/2 games in the NL Central standings and won six of its final eight tests before the break. The Astros received a gem from starting pitcher Brian Moehler in its most recent game, a 5-0 ousting of lowly Washington at Minute Maid Park.

Moehler (6-5) scattered seven hits and walked two over the first 6 1/3 innings, with Alberto Arias and Jose Valverde completing the shutout with a combined 2 2/3 scoreless frames.

"Brian stepped up and was really huge for us today," said Astros manager Cecil Cooper. "He made some great pitches and his command was good."

Kaz Matsui provided all the offense Moehler would need with a three-run homer in the seventh inning, while All-Star Miguel Tejada contributed an RBI single in the first. Matsui finished 2-for-3 on the afternoon.

Houston won two of three tilts from the Dodgers when these teams squared off at Minute Maid Park in April and is 10-6 over its last 16 meetings with Los Angeles. The Astros swept a three-game set in their only visit to Dodger Stadium last season.