Gallardo hopes to continue mastery of Astros

Mexican right-hander Yovani Gallardo can continue a career's worth of dominance over the Houston Astros on Thursday afternoon when the Milwaukee Brewers visit them to close out a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.

The 27-year-old earned the 75th victory of his major-league career in his most recent start on June 15 at Cincinnati, when he threw six scoreless innings of three-hit ball in a 6-0 defeat of the Reds.

It was his second consecutive scoreless start and has stretched him to 14 innings of run-free baseball in two victories while he's allowed just seven hits against the Reds and the Miami Marlins.

He's not lost since dropping a 6-1 decision against Oakland on June 5.

In 16 lifetime starts against the Astros, Gallardo is 13-3 with a 2.87 earned run average while holding Houston batters to a .235 batting average in 106 2/3 innings.

For Houston, righty Lucas Harrell aims for a third win in four decisions since losing four in a row.

He was a 4-3 winner over the Chicago White Sox, the team that drafted him in the fourth round in 2004, on June 15 and defeated Colorado, 7-5, on May 30. A 4-1 loss to Baltimore came in between, as did a no-decision at Kansas City in which he gave up just two hits in seven scoreless innings.

Harrell is 0-1 in two lifetime starts against Milwaukee.

The Astros are 3-7 in his last 10 starts.

On Wednesday, Rickie Weeks struck the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning as the Brewers defeated the Astros, 3-1.

Josh Prince drew a walk off Erik Bedard to start the frame. After Logan Schafer delivered a sacrifice bunt, Bedard was replaced by Hector Ambriz (1-4). Weeks then crushed a 1-2 slider into the stands in left to give the Brewers the lead for good.

"Bedard was outstanding, and he wanted [to go back out]," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "He gave us everything he had, too. He went back out there to start the eighth with the notion we were going to take him through Weeks. He did a tremendous job and pitched well enough to win."

John Axford (3-3) pitched a scoreless seventh to pick up the win while Francisco Rodriguez escaped trouble in the ninth to notch his fifth save of the season.

Milwaukee starter Kyle Lohse gave up one run on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts over six frames.

"That's a good ballgame to win," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "They got a slider up to (Weeks), and that's a big hit. We've been needing big hits, and that's a big hit."

J.D. Martinez drove in the lone run while Jose Altuve went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases for the Astros, who were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base.

Bedard gave up one run on four hits and two walks while striking out eight over 7 1/3 innings.

Houston lost nine of the 17 meetings against the Brewers in 2012.