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Giants take their swings at Houston's McHugh

May 12, 2015 - 2:01 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Francisco Giants will try to do what no opponent has been able to do since last season and solve the red-hot Collin McHugh and the Houston Astros on Tuesday when the teams meet up for the opener of a brief two-game set at Minute Maid Park.

McHugh last tasted defeat on July 27 of last year when he dropped his sixth consecutive start at the time. Since then, however, he has posted a 2.31 ERA and reeled off 11 straight wins, the longest active win streak in the majors.

However, working against the right-hander is his career 0-9 record in 13 starts against the National League, tied for the longest such winless stretch in the majors. Including six relief appearances, McHugh is 0-10 with a 7.09 ERA against the NL.

Starting opposite McHugh will be Chris Heston for the Giants. The right-hander brings a 2-3 record and a 3.38 ERA into Tuesday's opener. In his most recent outing, Heston lasted a season-low five innings against San Diego and took the loss after yielding five earned runs on 11 hits.

The defending World Series champion Giants sit in the middle of the pack in the NL West. San Francisco split a four-game home set with the Miami Marlins over the weekend and is coming off Sunday's 3-2 walk-off victory.

Starter Ryan Vogelsong twirled seven innings of one-run ball, as he yielded just four hits and struck out five while walking nobody. Reliever Sergio Romo gave up the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth inning, but the Giants got to the Miami bullpen in the bottom of the ninth and Matt Duffy eventually ended it with a run-scoring single.

"Still riding the high a little bit right now," Duffy said after the game. "Definitely feels good coming through for the team like that."

Prior to Sunday's victory, the Giants were batting just .212 (7-for-33) with runners in scoring position over their previous four games, which included three losses.

Meanwhile, Houston has built itself a five-game lead in the AL West and owns the best road record in baseball. However, the Astros are just 8-8 at Minute Maid Park as they get set to begin a nine-game homestand.

They split a four-game set with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over the weekend and are looking to rebound from Sunday's 3-1 loss in the finale. The offense managed just one hit in that game, a seventh-inning single from Jason Castro. Scott Feldman took the loss as he allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings.

"The story of the game was their starter did a good job," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "He was very dominant and showed electric stuff. We hung in there a little bit with a few walks, a base hit and just didn't come up with enough damage. It was a well-pitched game on both sides. It's unfortunate to come out on the losing end of that. But a good all-around baseball game."

These former NL West rivals are facing each other for the first time since 2012, the last year the Astros were in the National League.