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(Sports Network) - The San Diego Padres hope to provide some rare run support for Justin Germano when the hard-luck pitcher takes the hill for tonight's opener of a two-game series with the Houston Astros from Minute Maid Park.

Germano has yielded just four runs -- three earned -- over 20 innings in his three 2008 starts, but does not have a win to show for his efforts. The Padres have scored a mere three runs in those three games.

The right-hander suffered his first loss of the season on Wednesday, when Germano surrendered three runs and eight hits in seven innings of San Diego's 10-2 setback to Colorado.

Germano has faced Houston just once previously and suffered a loss that time as well. The 25-year-old gave up three runs on five hits through six innings in that game, a 3-2 Astros victory in San Diego on August 18 of last season.

The Padres may have trouble scoring runs again tonight if Houston's Roy Oswalt pitches like he did in his last start. The ace right-hander earned his first victory of 2008 after limiting Philadelphia to one run and five hits over seven innings on Wednesday.

Prior to that performance, Oswalt was 0-3 with an uncharacteristic 9.00 earned run average over his first three starts of the season. One of those defeats came to the Padres in San Diego, where Oswalt was reached for three runs and gave up 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings on March 31.

That loss was only the second for Oswalt in nine career decisions against San Diego. The three-time All-Star also has an impressive 2.49 ERA in his 12 lifetime appearances (10 starts) versus the Padres.

Both teams are struggling entering this brief series. San Diego halted a four- game losing streak with Sunday's 9-4 victory at red-hot Arizona, while the Astros had lost three in a row before coming through with a win over Colorado yesterday.

The Padres snapped a 1-1 tie with five sixth-inning runs off the Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson in Sunday's triumph, highlighted by Justin Huber's three-run homer off the future Hall of Famer.

Huber finished with two hits and two runs scored in the win, while Khalil Greene went 3-for-5 with an RBI double for San Diego. Scott Hairston knocked in two runs to back 6 1/3 solid innings out of Padres starter Randy Wolf.

Wolf (2-0) held Arizona to one run over his first six frames before surrendering three in the bottom of the seventh. The left-hander struck out seven while walking just one and gave up six hits before exiting.

Houston averted a three-game sweep by Colorado with Sunday's 6-4 decision. The Astros rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, highlighted by Kaz Matsui's go-ahead two-RBI single.

Matsui and Miguel Tejada each ended 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI for Houston, while Wesley Wright (2-0) picked up a win with a scoreless inning of relief. Jose Valverde then shut the door in the ninth to notch his second save of the season.

Astros starter Shawn Chacon worked the first six innings and surrendered three runs on seven hits.

San Diego took two of three from the Astros in the season-opening series between the clubs from March 31-April 2. These teams spilt a four-game set at Minute Maid Park last July.