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Rockies pay a visit to Houston

May 27, 2013 - 2:38 PM (Sports Network) - Houston right-hander Bud Norris makes his seventh start of the season on friendly turf at Minute Maid Park on Monday when the Astros host the Colorado Rockies to open an interleague series.

Houston will entertain the visiting Rockies again on Tuesday, before the series shifts to Colorado for the third and fourth games on Wednesday and Thursday.

Norris, a 28-year-old Californian, is 3-1 in six home starts in 2013, including a May 8 outing against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in which he allowed a run in eight innings of a 3-1 triumph.

He got a no-decision in one home start since, tossing six scoreless innings in a game the Astros ultimately lost, 7-3, to Kansas City.

Norris is 20-15 in 54 career home starts with a 3.33 earned run average, compared to a career mark of 12-26 and a 5.54 ERA in 54 road appearances.

He's 0-1 in three career meetings with the Rockies.

Colorado counters with 25-year-old Venezuelan righty Jhoulys Chacin, who's not won since April 19 after starting the season at 3-0.

An 11-game winner in 2011 before skidding to just three wins in 14 starts last season, Chacin was 3-0 for 2013 after downing Arizona, 3-1, with 6 1/3 scoreless innings of three-hit ball.

He went seven innings in a loss to Tampa Bay in his subsequent start, then pitched a combined 10 1/3 innings - allowing 17 hits and 10 runs - while losing at St. Louis and home to San Francisco in his next two.

Chacin got a no-decision against Arizona in his most recent outing on May 21 and has split a pair of career matchups with Houston.

On Sunday in San Francisco, Brandon Belt put the Giants ahead for good with a two-run double in the fifth inning and San Francisco went on to take a 7-3 victory over the Rockies at AT&T Park.

The Rockies didn't receive much from the heart of their order, with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez each going hitless in a combined nine at-bats with three strikeouts apiece.

Michael Cuddyer hit a two-run double and Jordan Pacheco drove in a run for Colorado, which saw Jon Garland (3-6) drop a fourth consecutive start. He was tagged for five runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and four walks over five innings.

"I thought Jon battled well, had some tough breaks. He gave us a chance," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said.

In Houston, Bartolo Colon threw seven shutout innings and the Oakland Athletics swept the Astros with a 6-2 win in the finale of a three-game series.

J.D. Martinez and Chris Carter had an RBI apiece while Jason Castro went a perfect 4-for-4 for Houston. Starter Dallas Keuchel (1-2) gave up six runs -- four earned -- on nine hits and a walk over six frames.

"I don't know, baseball is a funny game," said Keuchel. "Sometimes, somebody is going to kick your butt and you're going to kick their butt. But they got our number right now and we got to do something about it."

The Rockies won five of seven games from the Astros in both 2011 and 2012. Houston last won the season series, 4-2, in 2010.

Houston leads the all-time series by a game, 80-79, since 1993.