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Reds-Giants Preview

Aug 9, 2009 - 1:02 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Cincinnati (47-61) at San Francisco (60-49), 4:05 p.m. EDT

While Matt Cain is among baseball's leaders in victories, Aaron Harang is again tops in the majors in losses.

Two starters who are enduring vastly different seasons meet Sunday when Cain and the Giants host Harang and the Reds.

Cain (12-3, 2.25 ERA) seeks to bounce back from a rare loss as he tries to move into a tie for the major league lead in victories. He scattered eight hits for his fourth complete game of the season Monday in a 4-3 defeat at Houston.

The right-hander had been 3-0 with a 0.94 ERA in his six previous starts. He will try for a fifth straight win at home, where he has a 0.77 ERA over his last seven outings.

Cain is 2-2 with a 4.18 ERA in four career starts against the Reds.

While Cain is enjoying a stellar year for San Francisco (61-49), Harang (5-13, 4.52) will try to end the worst stretch of his career. He is 0-9 with a 5.49 ERA in his last 13 outings and has posted a 6.82 ERA in dropping five straight.

The veteran right-hander, who tied for the major league lead with 17 losses in 2008, gave up four runs over 7 1-3 innings and struck out a season-high 10 on Monday in a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

His run support average of 3.31 is one of the lowest in baseball.

"What can you do?" Harang told the Reds' official Web site. "You go out and give us a chance to win. If I try to go out there and press and be perfect, that's when you really get into trouble."

Harang is 3-6 with a 4.00 ERA in 10 career starts against the Giants, going 1-5 with a 3.99 ERA in six on the road.

Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez is 7 for 41 (.171) in his career against Harang.

Harang will be facing a pair of hot hitters in Eugenio Velez and Bengie Molina, who have each homered in the first two games of this series.

Velez has a 14-game hitting streak and is batting .423 in 12 games since being recalled from Triple-A Fresno on July 27. Molina has driven in eight runs over his last four.

The Giants bounced back with a 4-2 victory Saturday after committing five errors and blowing an eighth-inning lead in Friday's 10-5 loss. San Francisco has won five of seven.

Brian Wilson recovered from Friday's blown save to pitch a scoreless ninth for his 28th save in 33 chances.

"I know Willy and he takes it hard," manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's not easy for any pitcher to wave that off but this kid is strong."

Cincinnati (47-62) ended an eight-game road skid Friday before playing a sloppy game Saturday by matching a season high with three errors.

"Velez, Molina and it was our day to make errors," manager Dusty Baker said.

Reds third baseman Scott Rolen was scratched Saturday because he is experiencing concussion-like symptoms. He will be examined in Cincinnati on Sunday.