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Jun 21, 2009 - 4:23 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Houston (30-35) at Minnesota (35-34), 2:10 p.m. EDT

Glen Perkins went almost two months between victories. The Minnesota Twins hope his next one comes much quicker.

On Sunday, the left-hander looks for a second consecutive strong start since coming off the disabled list in the decisive finale of a three-game set against the Houston Astros at the Metrodome.

During his first full season as a starter in 2008, the St. Paul native went 12-4 with a 4.41 ERA in 26 starts for Minnesota (35-35).

This season, however, a lack of run support early on and some elbow inflammation plagued Perkins (2-3, 5.09 ERA), who allowed six runs in two-thirds of an inning against the New York Yankees on May 18 - one day before he was placed on the disabled list.

Almost a month after that horrible start, Perkins appeared back to his 2008 form by allowing two runs and seven hits in six innings of an 8-2 win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

"I'm sure he felt good being back out on the mound," manager Ron Gardenhire told the Twins' official Web site of Perkins, who won for the first time since April 19. "Once the game got going, he got better as the game went along. Nice performance by him."

Perkins, who is 3-0 with a 3.96 ERA in four interleague starts, makes his first appearances versus Houston (31-35), which evened the weekend series with a 6-5 comeback victory Saturday.

Lance Berkman and Michael Bourn homered, and Hunter Pence added two hits as Houston scored four times in the seventh inning to erase a 3-1 deficit. It was the second victory in eight interleague games for the Astros, who are 13-8 since a season-high seven-game losing streak.

"You'd rather get six runs in the fifth or sixth than six runs in the first," Saturday's winning pitcher Brian Moehler said. "It's nice to get the runs later in the game."

Berkman is 3 for 30 (.100) against AL opponents this season, but two of those hits are home runs. Pence, meanwhile, is batting .344 (11 for 32) during interleague play.

Trying to hand Minnesota its first losing interleague series, Houston hopes Wandy Rodriguez (5-6, 3.33) can avoid a fifth straight losing decision.

The left-hander allowed six runs and six hits while yielding three homers and five walks in four innings of a 6-1 loss at Texas on Tuesday. Rodriguez is 0-4 with a 6.93 ERA in his last five starts since going 5-2 with a 1.83 ERA in his first nine.

Rodriguez, 5-6 with a 5.02 ERA in 14 interleague starts, allowed two earned runs in 6 2-3 innings, but didn't factor in the decision of a 5-3 win over Minnesota on June 21, 2006.

Joe Mauer hit his 14th homer and Jason Kubel added his 12th with a two-run shot Saturday for the Twins, who lost for the fourth time in 11 games and fell to 8-3 in interleague play.

"Still a little frustrating when you have a lead and give up a big number in the seventh inning," Gardenhire said of Saturday's defeat.

Mauer is batting .417 with 42 RBIs in 45 games since coming off the disabled list (kidney surgery) on May 1.