(Sports Network) - Three-time Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez will have a heavy heart when he takes the mound tonight for the New York Mets, who will open a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Martinez is mourning the recent death of his father, Paulino, and spent a week in the Dominican Republic to be with his family. His father passed away after a long bout with brain cancer. Martinez has battled through a tumultuous 2008 season, shaking off a hamstring injury earlier in the year before tightness in his right shoulder cut his last start short on July 12 against Colorado.

The right-hander, who is 3-2 with a 6.25 earned run average in nine starts this season, pitched four shutout innings of one-hit ball against the Rockies to push his unbeaten streak to three games (1-0). Martinez is 6-7 in 18 career games, 15 of which have been starts, against the Astros.

New York will need Martinez's best stuff on Friday as it sits just one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the tight National League East division. Florida is only 1 1/2 games off the pace. The Mets have alternated wins and losses over their last six games, and just dropped two of three to the Marlins at Dolphin Stadium.

In Wednesday's 7-5 loss in the series finale, Damion Easley belted a pinch-hit three-run homer and Marlon Anderson had three hits and scored twice for New York. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey was charged with eight hits and five runs over four innings to absorb the loss. Pelfrey had gone 7-0 with a 2.57 earned run average in 11 starts before the recent defeat.

The Mets are 1-2 on a six-game road trip and 26-30 away from Shea Stadium this season.

Houston will try to get back in to the win column this evening, as it had a three-game winning streak cut short with Wednesday's 9-5 setback to the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of a three-game series. Ty Wigginton smacked a three-run homer and Hunter Pence added a solo shot for the Astros, who are 2-1 on a six-game homestand and 26-26 at Minute Maid Park this season.

Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez was seeking his fourth straight winning start, but was tagged for six runs on nine hits and one walk in 4 2/3 frames to suffer the loss.

Taking the hill for the Astros in Friday's series opener with the Mets will be Brandon Backe, who is 6-10 with a 4.73 earned run average through 22 trips to the mound. Backe last pitched in a 6-4 loss on July 26 at Milwaukee, as he yielded a pair of runs in 5 1/3 innings for the no-decision.

Backe, a right-hander, is just 1-2 in his last three decisions, spanning six starts. He is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in five career appearances, three of which have been starts, against New York.

New York and Houston are meeting for the first time since the Mets won five of seven matchups a year ago. The Mets are 9-4 over the previous 13 encounters with the 'Stros.