(Sports Network) - Coming off a rough nine-game road trip, the Houston Astros return to the comfortable surroundings of Minute Maid Park tonight for the first of three straight meetings with the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals.

Houston lost plenty of ground to the Cardinals and the red-hot Chicago Cubs in the National League Central standings after winning just twice during the three-city swing, which began with two losses in three games to St. Louis from May 27-29. The Astros hope to close the gap with a nine-game stretch at Minute Maid Park, where the club has compiled a strong 15-9 record so far this season.

The Astros were handed their seventh loss in eight games with Thursday's 4-3 setback in Pittsburgh. The Pirates' Jason Bay drove in the eventual winning run with a tie-breaking triple in the bottom of the fifth inning, while Bucs starter Paul Maholm worked eight strong frames to make the lead stand.

Brandon Backe (4-7) took the loss after allowing four runs and nine hits over the first six innings. The Houston starter did help himself at the plate, though, with an RBI single in the second inning.

Lance Berkman singled in his first at-bat to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. The Houston slugger is batting .368 (14-for-38) during the run and a robust .382 on the season.

The Cardinals come into town after having to play a doubleheader at Washington yesterday due to a rainout on Wednesday. St. Louis received another strong showing from Todd Wellemeyer in a 4-1 decision over the Nationals in the opener, but suffered a 10-9, 10-inning loss in the nightcap.

Wellemeyer (7-1) posted his fifth straight winning decision by twirling six shutout innings. The right-hander yielded just five hits and one walk while striking out five.

Troy Glaus socked a two-run homer in game one and Albert Pujols hit the first pinch-hit home run of his career, a solo blast in the seventh inning.

Pujols, who is bothered by a strained left calf, also did not start Thursday's second game but was used as a pinch hitter. The All-Star first baseman is considered questionable to return to the lineup tonight.

Joe Mather went 2-for-5 with a homer and three runs scored in the nightcap, while Glaus homered again for St. Louis, which lost for just the third time in its last nine games. Relief pitcher Mark Worrell added a three-run blast in the sixth inning during the rookie's first major league at-bat.

Mather's first career homer put the Cardinals up by a 9-8 score in the top of the 10th, but Ryan Franklin (2-2) served up a two-run shot to Elijah Dukes in the bottom of the frame to give the Nationals a twinbill split.

Braden Looper goes in search of his eighth victory of the season when he takes the mound tonight for the Cardinals. The converted reliever upped his 2008 record to 7-4 with a solid 5 2/3 innings in Sunday's 7-4 decision over Pittsburgh.

Looper allowed three runs and eight hits in his latest outing, a big improvement over the righty's previous start. Against the Astros on May 27, Looper was tagged for eight runs (7 earned) and nine hits while lasting just 4 1/3 innings in an 8-2 St. Louis loss.

The veteran hurler did fire seven shutout innings versus Houston on April 25, although he did not receive a decision, and is 7-4 lifetime against the Astros with a 3.12 earned run average in 37 games (7 starts).

Brian Moehler gets the assignment tonight for Houston and is coming off a loss in his most recent mound trip. The journeyman did strike out a season-high six batters over five innings Saturday at Milwaukee, but permitted three runs and wound up on the wrong side of a 4-1 decision.

Since entering the Houston rotation in early May, Moehler has posted a 2-2 record and a solid 3.81 ERA in five starts. He has faced the Cardinals twice in relief this season and allowed one run over two innings of work.

For his career, the 36-year-old is 2-0 with a 4.89 ERA in 13 games against St. Louis, five of which have come as a starter.

These NL Central foes have already met nine times this season, with the Cardinals winning six of the clashes. The Cardinals took two of three games from the Astros at Minute Maid Park from April 7-9.