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Astros play second of four in St. Louis

Texan Brandon Backe makes his fourth start of the season for the Houston Astros tonight when they visit Busch Stadium for the second game of a four-game series with the host St. Louis Cardinals.

Backe, a 29-year-old from Galveston, missed most of the season while recovering from ligament replacement surgery in his right arm that was performed last September.

He returned to the majors on September 4 and dropped a 5-3 decision to Milwaukee, and has since started twice more, going 1-0 with a no-decision while allowing nine hits and six runs in 11 innings.

Backe is 1-1 with a 6.29 earned run average in nine lifetime appearances against the Cardinals - four starts.

Righty Joel Pineiro makes his 10th start with the Cardinals.

The 29-year-old, who'll actually reach age 30 next week, began the season with the Boston Red Sox and made 31 relief appearances. He was acquired by the Cardinals at the trade deadline and has been exclusively a starter for the first time since making 30 starts with Seattle in 2005.

He defeated the Chicago Cubs his last time out, giving up seven hits and three runs in seven innings.

Pineiro dropped a 2-1 decision to the Astros on August. 30, allowing five hits and two runs in six innings. He's 1-2 lifetime against Houston in three starts, posting a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings.

On Thursday, rookie catcher J.R. Towles went 4-for-4 -- including a two-run homer -- and set a club record with eight RBI as the Astros decimated the Cardinals, 18-1.

Josh Anderson had three hits and three RBI, while Mike Lamb finished with three hits and three runs scored for Houston, which has won two straight. Cody Ransom also had three hits and scored five runs.

Wandy Rodriguez (9-13) allowed just one run and seven hits over eight innings in the victory. It was his third straight road win and came on an 88-pitch effort before Mark McLemore tossed the ninth.

Skip Schumaker accounted for the lone Cardinals' run with an RBI single. Braden Looper (12-11) was hammered in the start, yielding five runs and nine hits, with three walks and a strikeout over 5 2/3 innings. Four relievers then combined to surrender 13 runs on 14 hits the rest of the way.

St. Louis holds a 7-6 edge in its season series with Houston this year and won two of three when the clubs met at Busch Stadium in early May.

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