(Sports Network) - Right-hander Zack Greinke tries again to recapture early- season magic tonight, when the Kansas City Royals visit Minute Maid Park for the opening test of a three-game interleague series with the Houston Astros.

A first-round draft choice in 2002 - sixth overall - Greinke was nothing short of remarkable in his initial 10 starts, posting a 0.84 earned run average while winning eight of nine decisions.

He's struggled a bit since, however, going winless in four starts - losing two - while giving up 31 hits and 15 earned runs in 26 innings of work.

Greinke had allowed just seven earned runs in those initial 10 starts, covering 75 innings.

In his last start, on June 17 against Arizona, he was tagged for eight hits and six runs in 6 2/3 innings of a 12-5 loss.

Greinke, who is 2-2 in five road starts in 2009, has never faced the Astros.

For Houston, spot starter Russ Ortiz gets another call to the mound in an effort to continue an unbeaten streak that's lasted more than a month.

The 35-year-old Californian was last beaten on May 19 against Milwaukee, when he gave up three hits and two runs in two innings of a 4-2 loss to the Brewers.

He's not lost in seven outings since - including six games with no runs allowed - while dropping his season ERA from 5.81 to 3.60.

Ortiz defeated the Colorado Rockies with a scoreless one-inning relief outing on June 2.

The Astros are 6-10 in games he's pitched.

Ortiz has a pair of no-decisions in two career starts against the Royals, allowing 14 hits and five runs in 14 innings.

On Sunday in Kansas City, Albert Pujols went 4-for-5 with a grand slam, solo homer, double and six runs batted in to power the Cardinals past the Royals, 12-5, to complete a three-game sweep at Kauffman Stadium.

Jose Guillen went 2-for-3 with a homer, three RBI, and two runs scored for Kansas City, which dropped the final five games of a nine-game homestand to finish its residency with a 4-5 mark.

David DeJesus went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored. Mark Teahen had an RBI single in defeat.

Gil Meche (4-6) got blasted in 3 1/3 frames, allowing nine runs on nine hits with two walks and one strikeout to take the loss. Meche had won his previous two starts coming into Sunday.

In Minnesota, Wandy Rodriguez allowed one run over seven strong innings and Jeff Keppinger collected three hits and an RBI as Houston downed the Twins, 4-1, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set at the Metrodome.

Rodriguez (6-6) yielded one run with eight strikeouts and three walks for the win, his first since May 20, a span of six starts. Jose Valverde got the final three outs for his fifth save of the year and second in as many contests.

Hunter Pence finished with three hits and drove in a run for the Astros, who took the final two games of the series and have won three of four overall. Miguel Tejada and Carlos Lee also knocked in runs for the visitors.

Kansas City took two of three the last time these teams met back in 2006.