Houston @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 22, 2011 ) Houston 2, Chi. Cubs 4

THE STORY: The teams with the two worst records in baseball square off Saturday afternoon when the Houston Astros play the second game of a three-game series at the Chicago Cubs. A two-run homer by Aramis Ramirez was the difference in Friday's opener as the Cubs held on for a 4-2 victory. Alfonso Soriano also homered during a four-run fifth inning, which sealed the win for Carlos Zambrano and ended the Astros' modest two-game winning streak.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, FS Houston, Comcast Sports (Chicago)

PITCHING MATCHUPS: Astros LH Wandy Rodriguez (6-6, 3.67 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Randy Wells (1-3, 6.80).

Rodriguez has been victimized by a lack of run support many times this season, but his current streak of three starts without a win is largely his own doing. In 17 innings over that span, the lefthander has allowed 14 runs and walked 10. Rodriguez showed signs of life in a July 17 no-decision against Pittsburgh, tying a career best with 11 strikeouts in only 5 2/3 innings. He is 5-5 with a 4.04 ERA in 17 lifetime starts against the Cubs, including a 9-5 loss April 13 (five innings, nine hits, five runs). Wells is winless in nine starts since returning from the disabled list in late May and has allowed 24 earned runs, 41 hits and 12 walks in 28 1/3 innings over his last five games. He has pitched well in the past against Houston, going 2-3 with a respectable 3.11 ERA in six career starts. The Astros are a combined 20-for-74 (.270) against Wells led by right fielder Hunter Pence, who is 6-for-14 (.429) with a home run and four walks. Left fielder Carlos Lee is only 4-for-18 (.222) against Wells, but two of the hits are home runs.

ABOUT THE ASTROS (33-66): Houston is 10-32 in its last 42 games as it steadily sinks deeper into the National League Central basement. The Astros rank near the top of the league in batting average (.261), but have been unable to consistently turn the hits into runs with only 383 in 99 games. Pence, the subject of numerous trade rumors in recent days, leads the club with a .312 batting average, 11 home runs and 61 runs batted in. Center fielder Michael Bourn stole a pair of bases Friday to raise his major league-best total to 37.

ABOUT THE CUBS (40-60): Chicago has avoided the cellar for most of the season solely by virtue of being in the same division with the Astros - but that's about the only real positive for the Cubs, who still have yet to win more than two games in a row in 2011. The pitching staff ranks at or near the bottom of the major leagues in nearly every major statistical category, including ERA (4.65, 29th) and WHIP (1.47, 30th). Former closer Carlos Marmol was finally demoted into a setup role last week after imploding in a July 14 loss to Florida when he didn't retire a batter and allowed five runs. Sean Marshall earned his third save Friday.

FINAL PITCH: While Bourn leads the majors in stolen bases, the Astros are the easiest team in baseball to run against. They have allowed 92 steals in 112 attempts.