The Reds have been playing cat-and-mouse with the St.Louis Cardinals for a couple of months. Yet it's too early to mistake the National League Central as a two-team race. Cincinnati meets the potential third contender — the Houston Astros — in a four-game series that begins tonight at Minute Maid Park. Anything less than a split, and the Reds could be closer to third place than to first.

        “They've got a great team,” Reds catcher Corky Miller said. “We saw that last week. We expect them to be in this race.”

        The Reds lost two out of three games last week to the Astros and are 2-4 against Houston this year.

        The Astros, who have won four of the past five division titles, have won eight of their last 10 games to close within 6 1/2games of first-place St.Louis. The Reds are two games out of first.

        “Houston has decent pitching, which is what can keep them in it,” Reds pitcher Jimmy Haynes said.

        The Astros lost one starter, Shane Reynolds, to season-ending back surgery, and fellow starter Dave Mlicki missed nearly seven weeks with a pinched nerve in his neck.

        The Reds face Houston ace Roy Oswalt (9-5, 3.38 ERA) tonight. Reds manager Bob Boone shuffled his rotation entering the All-Star break so his ace, Elmer Dessens (5-4, 2.91), could go tonight. He also moved back Chris Reitsma, who has lost seven consecutive decisions and allowed nine runs last week in a loss to Houston, so he wouldn't pitch in this series.

        Reds-Astros Series Preview

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