(My Sportsbook) - Texas-born right-hander Ross Ohlendorf makes his second start with the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight when they visit the Houston Astros in game two of a four-game series at Minute Maid Park.

A 2004 draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the 26-year-old eventually reached the majors last season and made six appearances with the New York Yankees - posting a 2.84 earned run average in 6 1/3 innings.

He began this season in the Bronx as well and made 25 relief appearances before coming to Pittsburgh in the deal that sent reliever Damaso Marte and outfielder Xavier Nady to the Yankees.

Ohlendorf debuted in the National League on September 3 at Cincinnati and got a no-decision after allowing seven hits and three earned runs over six innings of the Pirates' 6-5 triumph.

With the Yankees this season, Ohlendorf went 1-1 and allowed 50 hits and 29 earned runs in 40 innings.

He's made two career relief appearances against the Astros, allowing two hits and a run in two innings.

For Houston, veteran lefty Randy Wolf tries to reach double-digit wins for the fifth time in his career.

The 32-year-old Californian, Wolf won a career-high 16 wins in 2003 with the Philadelphia Phillies and also reached 11, 10 and 11 wins in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively.

He made no more than 23 appearances in any season between 2004 and 2007 due to injury, but has returned to start 29 times this season while splitting time between the Astros and San Diego Padres.

A winner just six times in 21 starts with the Padres, Wolf is 3-1 in eight starts with Houston, posting a 3.80 earned run average in 47 1/3 innings.

He's 5-1 lifetime against Pittsburgh with a 3.61 ERA in 52 1/3 innings.

On Monday, Alberto Arias' spot start went as well as Houston's overall record of late and Mark Saccomanno hit a home run on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues as the red-hot Astros downed Pittsburgh, 3-2.

Arias (1-0), making a start in place of the injured Brandon Backe, pitched five scoreless frames while scattering two hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

Saccomanno pinch-hit for Arias in the bottom of the fifth frame and became the 100th player in MLB history to hit a home run in his first at- bat.

The Astros have the best record in Major League Baseball since the All-Star break at 33-16, won for the 11th time in 12 games, reached a high-water mark of 10 games over .500 and moved within five games of sliding Milwaukee in the National League wild card race.

Miguel Tejada broke a 1-for-31 stretch against Pittsburgh this season with a fifth-inning single and Lance Berkman snapped an 0-for-18 slump overall with a run-scoring hit in the fifth.

Saccomanno's solo shot broke the scoreless game in the fifth, then Michael Bourn and Darin Erstad hit back-to-back singles. Tejada and Berkman then drove them in off Ian Snell (6-11), who gave up the three runs on six hits and three walks, with nine strikeouts, in six innings.

Adam LaRoche finished 2-for-3 with a sixth-inning RBI single and Brandon Moss also singled home a run in the sixth for Pittsburgh.

Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth for his 41st save.

The Pirates are 3-4 on their current 10-game road trip.