(Sports Network) - It's reeling versus streaking tonight in Florida when the Houston Astros travel to St. Petersburg to open a three-game interleague set with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

The Astros come into the game having lost eight straight and 17 of their last 20 overall.

Meanwhile, the Rays added another element of legitimacy to the league's most surprising start, sweeping the National League pace-setting Chicago Cubs in their own three-game set.

It marked Tampa Bay's third sweep this season of a first-place team. following previous shutdowns of the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

On Thursday in Baltimore, Alex Cintron went 3-for-4, scored twice and belted his first homer of the season as the Orioles survived a shaky ninth inning to wrap up a three-game sweep of the stumbling Astros with a 7-5 win.

Shawn Chacon (2-3) was raked for six runs on eight hits in five innings, with no strikeouts and four walks. Lance Berkman had three hits and drove in a run, and Hunter Pence and Miguel Tejada both homered for Houston.

In St. Petersburg, Carl Crawford's grand slam highlighted Tampa Bay's seven- run seventh inning, helping the Rays down the Cubs, 8-3.

Crawford finished 3-for-5, while Eric Hinske scored twice and knocked in a run to improve the Rays to a franchise-record 14 games over .500 (43-29).

Grant Balfour (2-0) was credited with the win in relief of James Shields, who allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings in his first start since being suspended six games for his involvement in a bench-clearing brawl with Boston earlier in the month. Shields also tied a season-high with nine strikeouts.

Houston will start long-time ace Roy Oswalt on Friday with hopes that he'll stop the team's, and his own, slide. The 30-year-old Mississippi native has lost four of his last five decisions, including a 13-0 verdict to the New York Yankees on June 15 in which he gave up eight hits and seven runs - three earned - in 5 2/3 innings.

His last win came June 10 against Milwaukee and, before that, he hadn't won since May 12 in San Francisco.

Oswalt has never faced the Rays.

Tampa Bay counters with former first-round draft pick Matt Garza, who went seven strong innings in his last start.

On June 14, Garza allowed three hits and a run in the Rays' 4-1 defeat of intrastate rival Florida, improving his record to 5-3 and lowering his earned run average from 4.38 to 4.06.

He is unbeaten in six home starts this season, going 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA in 37 innings.

Garza has never faced the Astros.

Houston swept a three-game set from the Rays the last time these teams met back in 2003.