(Sports Network) - The New York Mets will attempt to make it two straight wins and improve to 15 games over .500 at home tonight, when they meet the Houston Astros in the middle test of a three-game series at Citi Field.
The Mets won Friday's opener, 2-1, after starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey worked eight scoreless frames on the mound.
Pelfrey (13-7) gave up just six hits and two walks, while striking out four for the Mets, who had dropped three of four coming in. Ruben Tejada and David Wright each drove in a run.
Nelson Figueroa (3-2) went seven frames and was charged with two runs -- one earned -- on three hits with five walks and two strikeouts for the Astros, who were coming off a four-game road sweep of the Phillies and had a five-game winning streak snapped.
Jason Michaels drove in the lone Houston run.
New York, which pulled back to .500 overall, is now 38-24 at home. The Astros, meanwhile, have won only 26 of 63 road games.
Lefty ace Johan Santana goes for the Mets in search of a first win in three starts tonight.
The 31-year-old Venezuelan was 10-6 after a 4-0 defeat of Colorado on Aug. 12 in New York, but has lost consecutive starts at Houston and Pittsburgh while allowing 13 hits and six runs in 16 innings.
The loss to the Astros dropped him to 2-2 in five career meetings with a 3.00 earned run average.
The former two-time American League Cy Young Award winner is 7-3 in 12 starts at home in 2010.
For the Astros, newly-minted 30-year-old Brett Myers aims for a 10th victory in his initial season with Houston.
The Jacksonville, Fla. native, who celebrated his birthday on Aug. 17, earned his ninth win with a 3-2 defeat of Philadelphia in the last start on Aug. 23.
Myers reached double-digit wins five times in eight seasons with the Phillies between 2002 and 2009, including a career-best 14 wins on 2003.
He is 9-6 with three saves in 28 meetings with the Mets, 21 starts.
These teams split a four-game series in Houston earlier this month. The Mets won five of six meetings with the Astros last season, including a three-game sweep at Citi Field.