(Sports Network) - Jon Lester tries to stretch his unbeaten streak to six games this evening when the Boston Red Sox play the middle test of their three-game series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Lester, who is 6-3 with a 3.13 earned run average on the year, received a no- decision on Sunday against St. Louis, despite a pretty solid outing. Lester surrendered a pair of runs and nine hits in 7 1/3 innings of Boston's 5-3 win.

Over his last four starts (3-0), spanning 27 2/3, Lester, who, of course, tossed a no-hitter earlier this season, has given up just five runs.

He has never faced the Astros.

Houston will pin its hopes on righty Brandon Backe, who is 5-8 with a 4.82 ERA. Backe picked up a win on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, as he allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Backe will be making his first-ever start against the Red Sox, but has faced them four times out of the bullpen without recording a decision. However, he has pitched to a 13.50 ERA in those outings.

Boston won its major league-leading 50th game of the season in the opener of this set on Friday, as J.D. Drew belted a three-run homer and Daisuke Matsuzaka rebounded from his lone loss of the year and threw five shutout innings, helping the Red Sox to a 6-1 victory.

Making his second start back from the disabled list, Matsuzaka (9-1) allowed two hits, walked three and struck out four. The Japanese right-hander was removed after throwing 87 pitches. He had missed more than a month with a right rotator cuff strain, and was battered by St. Louis for seven runs and six hits in just one-plus inning of work last Saturday.

Kevin Youkilis had four hits, and Dustin Pedroia went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice for the Red Sox, who won their third in a row.

Jonathan Papelbon threw the final 1 1/3 innings for his 24th save.

Reggie Abercrombie smacked a pinch-hit homer off Hideki Okajima in the eighth inning for Houston's lone run, as the Astros lost for the ninth time in their last 12 games at Minute Maid Park.

Runelvys Hernandez (0-1) made his first appearance since 2006 and gave up five hits and three runs over five innings to suffer the loss. He was called up from the minors to take the spot of the recently-released Shawn Chacon.

Boston, which is in the midst of its first-ever visit to Houston, swept the Astros in a three-game set at Fenway back in 2003.