• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Reds-Dodgers Preview

Aug 15, 2015 - 6:48 AM A stint on the disabled list hasn't slowed down Justin Turner, while another move to the DL has allowed Kike Hernandez to provide the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers with added offense.

Turner and Hernandez look to continue hitting the Cincinnati Reds' young pitchers on Saturday night.

Turner was hitting .459 with two homers and five doubles in a 10-game span before missing 14 with a skin infection in his right thigh. He's shown no adverse effects in two games since his return, going 3 for 6 and knocking in two runs in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Reds.

He's a .455 hitter in his last seven meetings with Cincinnati.

Hernandez matched his career high with three hits in Thursday's 10-3 loss in the opener of this four-game series. He followed that up Friday with another three hits and scoring with Turner on Adrian Gonzalez's three-run homer in the fifth.

Hernandez has been used at five positions this year but has started the last two games at second base with Howie Kendrick on the DL with a strained left hamstring.

The Dodgers (65-51) have won seven of nine at home and are 8-3 in the past 11 matchups there with the Reds (51-63).

Brett Anderson (6-7, 3.43 ERA) is facing them for the first time as he tries to bounce back from Monday's 8-3 loss to Washington. He gave up two runs in the first five innings before yielding five and getting pulled with no outs in the sixth.

"I wasn't able to get anybody out," said Anderson, who was 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA over his previous eight starts. "I pride myself on giving us a chance to win, and I felt like I did that through five. But the stuff was bad. I fell behind and I made a bunch of mistakes."

While much of the damage came against the Nationals, the left-hander is 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA in his last four home starts. He's received virtually no support from his teammates in those games, with the Dodgers scoring two total runs with him on the mound.

After John Lamb made his major league debut Friday, fellow rookie David Holmberg (1-1, 3.06) takes the mound for his first meeting with the Dodgers.

This will be the 17th straight game Cincinnati has started a rookie, the longest such streak since the first year of the rookie designation in 1958.

Holmberg has been effective in each of his three starts since being recalled from Triple-A Louisville. The left-hander lasted a career-best 6 2-3 innings in Monday's 2-1 loss at San Diego, making his only mistake on Justin Upton's two-run homer.

Holmberg has been a pleasant surprise after posting a 4.40 ERA in 19 games - 17 starts - at Louisville.

"I think it's just executing pitches better, just staying focused through the game and just making pitches when I need to and getting quick outs on ground balls and popups and stuff like that," Holmberg told MLB's official website.

Joey Votto is 6 for 12 with two homers and six RBIs in the last three games. He had a two-run homer and an RBI double Friday, giving him a .433 average over his past nine meetings with the Dodgers.