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Jul 19, 2009 - 7:07 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Houston (46-45) at Los Angeles (57-34), 4:10 p.m. EDT

After a pair of sluggish performances coming out of the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Dodgers' hitters finally delivered against the Houston Astros.

The Dodgers have a good chance to build on that effort in Sunday's finale and earn a split in the four-game home series as they face struggling Astros starter Russ Ortiz.

After being outscored 11-1 in consecutive defeats to Houston, Los Angeles (57-34) tallied two first-inning runs en route to a 5-2 victory Saturday. The major's best team capitalized on two of their six opportunities with runners in scoring position after previously going 0 for 9.

Matt Kemp drove in a pair of runs to give him 11 in the past 11 games, and with three hits, Orlando Hudson improved to 9 for 14 (.643) over the last four contests.

"To pitch for a first-place team, you've got to have confidence," winning pitcher Clayton Kershaw said. "Obviously, it doesn't hurt when you're getting some runs to work with."

After posting a 1.56 ERA in seven consecutive relief appearances, Ortiz (3-4, 4.44 ERA) returned to the starting rotation June 11 by allowing three hits over 5 1-3 scoreless innings in a 2-1 win in 13 innings over the visiting Chicago Cubs.

Since then, however, the Encino, Calif., native is 0-2 with a 5.90 ERA over his last five starts, and opponents are hitting .297 against him in that span.

Ortiz, who hasn't won since June 2, was pulled after giving up four runs in three innings July 9 against Washington before the Astros rallied for a 9-4 home victory.

After the game, he went on a seven-minute tirade to express frustration with how he's been handled.

"It became apparent to me from the very beginning of the season that I wasn't going to be given much of a chance or room for error and today is another example of that," he said. "The last two months, I don't think I've really struggled pitching. I struggled today and I'm out after three innings and we come back and win. I don't understand it, and I haven't been given a real good reason why I was taken (out)."

He improved to 9-9 lifetime against the Dodgers by defeating them April 21 after giving up three runs in five innings. At Dodger Stadium, Ortiz is 6-3 with a 4.52 ERA.

After suffering only its third loss in 11 games, Houston (46-45) will try to solve Los Angeles right-hander Hiroki Kuroda (3-5, 4.67), who is 1-0 with a 0.66 ERA in two career starts against the Astros.

Kuroda, however, has allowed at least four earned runs in four of his last six appearances and hasn't pitched more than six innings in his last two starts.

He gave up three runs in 1 1-3 innings of relief in Sunday 7-4 win at Milwaukee, and in his previous start July 8 against the host New York Mets, Kuroda allowed five runs and eight hits over 4 1-3 innings in a 5-4 defeat.

"I have to start fresh and really have to do more work and have a better outing the next time," Kuroda told the Dodgers' official Web site following that loss in New York. "I have a lot to work on."