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Reds-Dodgers Preview

Jul 21, 2009 - 6:47 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Cincinnati (44-48) at Los Angeles (59-34), 10:10 p.m. EDT

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best record in baseball and a comfortable lead in the NL West, but it's been nearly two months since they won four straight games.

They can end that drought and become the first team in the majors to 60 wins Tuesday against the visiting Cincinnati Reds, who haven't won at Dodger Stadium since 2005.

The Dodgers' powerful offense briefly went quiet last week, scoring one total run while losing the first two games after the All-Star break against Houston.

The team's bats have since heated up, however, and after the Dodgers (59-34) won the final two games of their four-game set against the Astros, Manny Ramirez led Los Angeles to a 7-5 victory in Monday's series opener with the Reds.

Ramirez went 2 for 4 with a two-run home run, his first at Dodger Stadium since his 50-game drug suspension. It was also the 537th of his career, moving him ahead of Mickey Mantle on the all-time list.

"To be honest, I haven't been keeping track of who I've passed or where I'm at. I just wait for you guys to tell me," Ramirez said. "I just go and play and don't worry about the numbers. Maybe I will when I look back later on and see what I accomplished. But now I'm going to take it day by day and see if we can go to the next step."

On Tuesday, that would be a chance at the Dodgers' first four-game winning streak since May 25-28. The current three-game run has boosted their division lead to eight games over second-place Colorado.

The streak has a good chance to continue if Randy Wolf (4-4, 3.51 ERA) can provide another quality start, something the left-hander has given the Dodgers in each of his last four outings. He lost Thursday against Houston, however, allowing three runs and five hits in six innings of a 3-0 defeat.

"I felt great. It's the sharpest I've been in a while," Wolf said. "I located my fastball and just had a good feel."

Wolf has often looked sharp against the Reds, going 8-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 15 career starts. In the most recent, he tossed 6 2-3 innings in a 5-0 win last Sept. 24.

The Dodgers have never faced Cincinnati's Homer Bailey (1-1, 6.43), who will get the ball Tuesday.

The 23-year-old right-hander had shown signs of progress by limiting opponents to two runs in each of his last two starts before the All-Star break, but he struggled Thursday against Milwaukee, allowing seven runs in 5 1-3 innings of a 9-6 loss.

The former first-round pick now has a 6.65 career ERA in 22 major league starts.

Poor pitching has plagued the Reds (44-48) lately. They've allowed seven or more earned runs six times in their last 13 games, going 4-9 with a 6.29 staff ERA over that span. They've stumbled in the NL Central, where they are now in fifth place, 5 1/2 games behind division-leading St. Louis.

Two more games at Dodger Stadium don't figure to help, as Cincinnati has dropped its last 10 games there. The Reds are 3-18 against the Dodgers overall since the start of 2006.