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Wins have been mounting for the San Francisco Giants when they give Matt Cain the ball.

That's not quite the case against the Houston Astros.

The Giants try to win for the eighth straight time with Cain on the mound as the right-hander seeks his first victory over the Astros in more than four years Wednesday night at AT&T Park.

San Francisco (35-27) has won each of the last seven games started by Cain (7-2, 2.41 ERA), who is 6-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings during that stretch.

He's been even better at home this season, going 3-1 with a 1.72 ERA in six starts.

Cain's impressive stretch continued on the road Thursday, when he yielded three unearned runs while fanning nine and walking one in seven innings of an 8-3 win over San Diego.

"I felt like I stayed in a rhythm and at times tried to slow the game down to where I didn't get out of whack," Cain told the team's official website.

Cain, though, hasn't been nearly as successful against Houston (26-35), as he's 1/3 with a 4.93 ERA in six starts. That includes an 0-2 record and 5.68 ERA in four games since last beating the Astros on May 13, 2008.

Madison Bumgarner pitched the Giants to a 6-3 victory in Tuesday's series opener. He allowed two runs -- one earned -- with 12 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings and helped himself by hitting his first career homer.

San Francisco has won six of the last eight home meetings against the Astros.

Melky Cabrera had two hits and one RBI on Tuesday, boosting his NL-leading average to .366. The left fielder, who finished 2011 hitting a career-high .305 with Kansas City, has a .408 average with five RBIs and 11 runs over the last 12 games with the Giants winning 10.

Pablo Sandoval's status for Wednesday is uncertain after he fouled a ball off his left foot and left the series opener in the eighth inning.

The third baseman returned from the disabled list on Saturday, and is 1 for 11 in three games since.

Sandoval has a .342 career average with 15 RBIs in 20 meetings with Houston.

The Astros have split eight games following a season-high eight game slide.

They're scheduled to give the ball to J.A. Happ (4-6, 4.54), who could use some help from his offense as he tries to end a three-start losing streak.

The left-hander had quality starts in his two previous outings before he was reached for four runs and five hits with a season-high five walks over 4 2/3 innings of a 14-2 loss to St. Louis on Thursday. The Astros have scored four totals runs in those three games.

Pitching on the road may not provide much relief for Happ, either. He's 0-2 with a 5.24 ERA in four away starts, and he's lost his only two against the Giants with a 3.75 ERA while being backed by one total run.

Happ's most recent meeting with them came in San Francisco on Aug. 26, when he allowed two runs -- one earned -- and four hits with four walks in six innings of a 2-1 defeat.