Astros-Dodgers Preview

The Houston Astros are seven games below .500 against their own division, yet they find themselves climbing in the NL Central.

That can be attributed to their success against the league's best division.

Roy Oswalt and the Astros have dominated the NL West, and they can make it four wins in five games this season against the Los Angeles Dodgers when the teams continue their four-game set Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

Houston (45-44) has come a long way since May 27, when it lost its seventh in a row to fall to 18-28, 9 1/2 games behind first place St. Louis in the Central.

The Astros' 27-16 record since is the third best in the majors, but there's been one constant in their play all season -- their success versus the NL West. Houston came to Los Angeles to open the season's second half with a 16-7 record against the West and wasted no time in improving that mark Thursday.

Humberto Quintero hit his first homer and the Astros spoiled Manny Ramirez's first game in Los Angeles since his suspension with a 3-0 win over the Dodgers (56-33).

The win, which pulled Houston within three games of St. Louis, may have come at a price. Lance Berkman left the game with a mild left calf strain and is day-to-day.

"I don't think it's bad," manager Cecil Cooper said. "He's got ice on it, so now we just have to wait and see tomorrow."

Ramirez went 1 for 4 and was cheered in his first game back at Dodger Stadium.

"It was great. I was looking forward to this game," said Ramirez, hitting .364 (12 for 33) with three homers and nine RBIs since returning July 3. "I'm just glad I got that game out of the way."

The Astros have taken six of seven series against the West, helping to make up for their 17-24 record versus the middling Central. They are 3-1 versus Los Angeles, making them the only NL club to have a winning record against the Dodgers.

Oswalt (5-4, 3.85 ERA) has keyed Houston's dominance of the West this season, going 5-0 with a 2.51 ERA in six starts against the division.

Oswalt's only non-winning outing versus the West came April 22 in a matchup with the Dodgers. The three-time All-Star allowed four runs and gave up homers to Ramirez, Andre Ethier and Casey Blake in six innings, but the Astros won 6-5.

Oswalt surrendered three runs over six innings before exiting with numbness in his fingers last Friday against Washington, and he didn't get the decision in Houston's 6-5 victory.

Chad Billingsley (9-4, 3.38), one of three Dodgers to make the All-Star squad, gave up a run while pitching the fifth inning in his first Midsummer Classic.

Billingsley, who allowed three hits over 7 1/3 innings in a 2-0 win at Houston on April 23, didn't head into the All-Star game on a high note. He allowed five runs, five hits and four walks over five innings at Milwaukee in a 12-8, 10-inning victory last Friday.

Billingsley has not allowed a home run to a current Astros player. Berkman and Carlos Lee are a combined 5 for 30 (.167) against him.