Cincinnati @ Los Angeles preview
Dodger Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 20, 2010 ) Cincinnati 3, LA Dodgers 1
The Cincinnati Reds will see the return of their kickboxer, er pitcher, when Johnny Cueto comes off suspension to face the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.
Cueto’s stellar pitching this season has recently taken a back seat to his actions during a brawl against the St. Louis Cardinals that prompted a seven-game suspension.
Cueto found himself pinned against the backstop and began kicking frantically, striking Cardinals catcher Jason LaRue in the face multiple times and sending LaRue to the disabled list with a concussion.
It was the ugliest part of an unsightly scene between the two teams fighting for the NL Central crown.
The Reds lead the Cardinals by 4 1/2 games after beating Los Angeles in Friday’s series opener for their seventh straight win. The victory ended a 12-game losing streak at Dodger Stadium, dating back to the 2006 season.
Cueto will look to make it two consecutive Cincinnati victories in the series when he takes the mound on 10 days’ rest. He missed his last start due to the lengthy suspension.
The hurler lost to the Cardinals in his last start, ending a stretch where he had gone 5-0 over an eight-start span.
Cueto didn’t allow a run in three of the starts and yielded just one in three others. He gave up five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings against St. Louis.
Cueto has a 3.38 ERA this season and has lost both career starts to the Dodgers, despite a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings.
Chad Billingsley (9-7) draws the assignment for the Dodgers. Billingsley is 0-2 in his last four starts, despite giving up just six runs in 25 2/3 innings.
Over his last six outings, Billingsley has an ERA of 1.33 to drop his season ERA from 4.61 to 3.66.
Billingsley lost to Cincinnati in April when he gave up seven runs - four earned - and seven hits in three innings.
Billingsley is 3-2 with a 3.21 ERA in seven career appearances - six starts - against the Reds.
Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips was the hitting star Friday with three hits and three RBIs. But Phillips has struggled against Billingsley by going just 3-for-16 (.188).
Finding anyone to cool down Phillips at Dodger Stadium would be quite a feat. Phillips’ 3-for-5 night Friday raised his career average at the ballpark to .451 (23-of-51).
First baseman Joey Votto (.462 in 13 at-bats) and third baseman Scott Rolen (.444 in nine at-bats) have fared well against Billingsley.
Dodgers second baseman Ryan Theriot has a .385 career mark (10-for-26) against Cueto.
Los Angeles center fielder Matt Kemp had a bloop single in the ninth Friday to end a stretch of four straight hitless games. Kemp is 2-for-24 (.083) over his last seven contests.
Los Angeles is bracing for the return of outfielder Manny Ramirez from a calf injury. Ramirez could return over the weekend and should be back by Tuesday at the latest.