Los Angeles @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( Mar 31, 2010 ) Cincinnati 12, LA Dodgers 4
The Los Angeles Dodgers hadn't scored a run in 17 innings. Shut out by Tim Lincecum on Saturday, Barry Zito and the San Francisco Giants were looking to repeat the trick again on Sunday.
That's when Manny Ramirez struck.
The slugger belted his 548th career home run - a two-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning - to give the Dodgers a 2-1 win over the Giants on Sunday.
Ramirez and the Dodgers will look to make it two straight wins when they open a three-game series at the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. Chad Billingsley (1-0) starts for the Dodgers while Homer Bailey (0-1) pitches for the Reds.
Ramirez's blast on Sunday was just his second pinch-hit home run of his career. Both have come with the Dodgers. The home run tied Ramirez with former Philadelphia Phillies slugger Mike Schmidt for 14th place on the career home run list.
Ramirez's home run came off Giants reliever Sergio Romo, who relieved Zito with one out in
the eighth inning. Zito got Reed Johnson to fly out to begin the frame and then walked Garret Anderson.
Romo came on in relief and Ramirez belted a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall for his second home run of the season. Ramirez had been sidelined with tightness in right calf.
The reeling Reds got some power of their own on Sunday in a losing cause.
Jay Bruce, who entered the game batting .146 with just two RBIs, cracked his first two home runs of the season - both solo shots - in a 5-3 loss at the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bruce has over 20 home runs the past two seasons for the Reds.
Sunday's loss at Pittsburgh ended a seven-game road trip for the Reds. Cincinnati won the first two games on the trip but lost the last five.
Billingsley is 3-2 in his career with a 2.35 ERA against the Reds.
Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton notched his first save Sunday in the team's first save opportunity. They were the last team in the majors to record a save.
Bailey is making his third start of the season for the Reds. He failed to get out of the sixth inning in his two prior outings. He is trying to become the first Cincinnati starter to win a game this season. All five Reds victories have been recorded by relievers.