(Sports Network) - Right-hander Ryan Dempster makes his second start of the season against Houston and will try to help the Chicago Cubs stop the bleeding today when they visit Minute Mark Park for the finale of a three-game series against the Astros.

Dempster. who won 10 games before the All-Star break, took one of his four losses against the Astros on May 20 in Houston, when he allowed six hits and four runs in six innings of a 4-2 defeat.

The loss dropped Dempster's career record to 3-8 in 38 career meetings with the Astros, during which he's split time with 12 starts and 26 relief outings. He has recorded 16 saves against Houston.

The Cubs, who lead the National League's Central Division by two games over the St. Louis Cardinals, have dropped the initial two games of the series.

Dempster lost his final pre-break start, allowing seven hits and four runs in 6 2/3 innings of a 4-2 defeat against San Francisco on July 13.

Houston righty Brandon Backe, on the other hand, will try to build on a very successful pre-break outing.

Backe earned his sixth win of the season on July 13 at Washington when he scattered five hits over seven innings of a 5-0 defeat of the Nationals.

He faced the Cubs in his second start of the season on April 6 at Wrigley Field and got a no-decision after surrendering six hits and two runs in six innings of Chicago's 3-2 win.

Lifetime against the Cubs, Backe is 2-1 in seven games - six starts - with a 4.63 earned run average in 35 innings.

On Saturday, Wandy Rodriguez was brilliant through 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, as the Astros topped the Cubs, 4-1.

Rodriguez (5-3) allowed only a solo home run to Carlos Zambrano in stifling the Cubs potent lineup. The southpaw fanned seven and did not walk a batter on nine hits to win his third straight decision.

Miguel Tejada was 2-for-4 with an RBI while Carlos Lee, Darin Erstad and Hunter Pence each had an RBI for Houston, which has won four straight.

Zambrano (10-4) labored through 6 1/3 innings, surrendering four runs on six hits and a season-high six walks. The right-hander had three strikeouts and helped himself with a solo homer but snapped a two-start win streak.

Ryan Theriot was 3-for-4 in a losing cause, the only multi-hit effort for Chicago, which has dropped three straight.

Houston leads the head-to-head series, 20-18, since the start of the 2006 season, including a 5-3 edge in eight encounters so far this year.