Los Angeles @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 21, 2010 ) LA Dodgers 14, Cincinnati 6
The Los Angeles Dodgers began their three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds with six players batting over .300 for the season.
Now they’re wondering how many will crack the .400 plateau.
The Dodgers, leading the majors in hitting, complete a three-game series at the Great American Ball Park Thursday.
That potent lineup is the last thing the Reds’ struggling starting pitching staff needed to see. Cincinnati has lost six of its last seven games and 16 games into the season no Reds starter has recorded a victory.
Mike Leake, the rookie straight out of Arizona State, gets the call for the Reds today. Leake has been the best of Cincinnati’s starters so far.
Leake worked 6 2/3 innings in his debut but failed to get the decision in the Reds’ 3-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. In his last outing, Leake worked seven innings and again didn’t figure in the decision as the Reds fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.
The Reds believed that starting pitching would be one of their strengths. With Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto headlining the rotation and Edinson Volquez expected to return from elbow surgery in July, Cincinnati had high hopes for its staff.
The Reds also signed Cuban phenom Aroldis Chapman in the offseason and hoped to bring him along slowly.
They may not be able to wait.
In his Triple-A debut at Louisville, Chapman struck out nine batters and allowed one unearned run while hitting 101 mph on the radar gun.
The Dodgers entered Wednesday’s game hitting .302 as a team and hammered out 18 hits on the way to a 14-6 win over the Reds. Rafael Furcal led the hit parade with four hits and was a home run shy of the cycle.
Los Angeles currently has seven players hitting over .317. Manny Ramirez is batting .421 and Andre Ethier is an even .400.
L.A.’s Vicente Padilla can use all the run support he can get. Padilla (1-1) has allowed 14 runs in 15 innings this season. He’s been touched for four home runs.
The Dodgers activated reliever Ronald Belisario before Wednesday’s game. Jeff Weaver pitched to one batter in the eighth inning and left the game after feeling a twinge in his back.
Joey Votto and Scott Rolen lead the Reds offense. Votto hit his third home run of the season on Wednesday and second in two days. Rolen, who returned to the lineup much sooner than the Reds had expected after suffering a back injury, also belted a home run in Wednesday’s loss.
Rolen has four homers on the season.