(Sports Network) - Recent first-round draft choice Eric Hurley makes the third start of his major-league career tonight, when the Texas Rangers visit intrastate rival Houston for the first of three interleague games with the Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Hurley, a 22-year-old from Missouri, was the 30th overall selection by the Rangers in 2004. He made his debut with the big club on June 12 at Kansas City, giving up six hits and four runs in six innings of the Rangers' 6-5 loss.

He returned six days later at home against Atlanta to get another no-decision, this time allowing five hits and two runs in five innings of a 5-2 loss to the Braves.

In 11 innings overall, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound right-hander has walked two batters and struck out eight, allowing an opposition batting average of .256.

He'll be opposed by Houston veteran Brian Moehler, who was drafted by the Detroit Tigers the year Hurley turned 9 years old.

Moehler began 2008 in the Houston bullpen and made five relief appearances, but has since started eight times, including a June 6 win against St. Louis in which he allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings.

He's 0-1 with a no-decision in two outings since, surrendering 13 hits and eight runs in 11 innings against Milwaukee and Baltimore.

The 36-year-old from North Carolina is 5-4 in 11 appearances - nine starts - against the Rangers, including a pair of complete games.

In 61 2/3 innings, he's allowed 67 hits and 34 earned runs.

On Sunday in Washington, Frank Catalanotto and Jarrod Saltalamacchia had run- scoring singles in the eighth, as the Rangers edged the Nationals, 5-3, in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Nationals Park.

Texas' Vicente Padilla (10-3) allowed three baserunners through five before two homers plated three runs in the sixth and seventh.

Brandon Boggs homered and walked with two runs scored and Ian Kinsler added a solo shot for Texas, which has won three of its last four.

In St. Petersburg, Carlos Lee's two-run home run in the sixth inning proved to be the difference as Houston edged Tampa Bay, 3-2, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set.

Hunter Pence also homered for the Astros, who won for just the second time in 11 games.

Brandon Backe (5-8) allowed two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings to pick up the win. Wesley Wright, Chris Sampson, Doug Brocail and Jose Valverde combined to finish things from there.

Texas took two of three from the Astros earlier in the season and has won six of the last nine matchups.