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(Sports Network) - The San Diego Padres turn to their ace in hopes of turning around a rough recent stretch, as Jake Peavy is set to take the mound in this evening's finale of a two-game set with the Houston Astros from Minute Maid Park.

Peavy, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, has shown no drop- off from his sensational 2007 campaign over his first four outings of this season. The hard-throwing righty has yielded just four runs over a combined 30 innings and opposing batters are hitting just .180 against him thus far.

The two-time All-Star won his initial three starts before receiving a hard- luck no decision against Colorado on Thursday. Peavy surrendered just four hits and racked up 11 strikeouts through eight shutout frames, but left with the contest still scoreless. The game would last an astounding 22 innings, the longest in the major leagues since 1983.

Peavy's first start of 2008 came against the Astros at Petco Park and he held Houston scoreless in seven innings of work to notch the victory. He allowed just three hits and walked three while fanning four.

The Alabama native is 7-4 with an impressive 2.04 earned run average in 13 career starts against San Diego.

Peavy will be attempting to halt a string of five losses in a six-game span for the slumping Padres, which includes a 10-3 setback to the Astros on Monday. Miguel Tejada led the charge for Houston by going 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI at the plate.

Lance Berkman added a three-run blast and Hunter Pence finished 2-for-4 with an RBI double for the Astros, who totaled 13 hits and scored more runs than they had in any other game this season.

Houston ace Roy Oswalt (2-3) tossed seven solid innings om which he allowed three runs on six hits and struck out six Padres.

Justin Germano (0-2) allowed all of Houston's 10 runs, along with 10 hits, before being yanked after 3 1/3 innings. San Diego did receive solo homers from Jim Edmonds and Adrian Gonzalez in a losing cause.

The Astros will send out the inconsistent Brandon Backe in tonight's finale. The right-hander was rocked for six runs (5 earned) and 10 hits over just three innings in a loss at Philadelphia on Thursday, five days after he twirled five shutout frames to defeat Florida in his lone home start of the season.

Backe opposed the Padres in San Diego back on April 1 and threw five decent innings despite being hung with a loss. The 30-year-old gave up a pair of runs on five hits and walked three before departing. He is 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA in four lifetime starts against San Diego.

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.