• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Dodgers-Reds Preview

Apr 19, 2010 - 7:20 PM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Los Angeles (6-6) at Cincinnati (5-8), 7:10 p.m. EDT

The Los Angeles Dodgers were not as successful as they would have liked on their first road trip this season.

They have to like their chances to start this nine-game trek on a winning note, especially if Manny Ramirez returns to the starting lineup Tuesday night as the Dodgers try for their 23rd win in 27 games against the Cincinnati Reds.

Los Angeles (6-6) got off to its worst start in seven years by dropping four of six in Pittsburgh and Florida earlier this month.

Three of those defeats were by one run, but the Dodgers bounced back with a 4-2 homestand and Ramirez was the difference in Sunday's finale.

Despite being limited by tightness in his right calf, he delivered the go-ahead, pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning in a 2-1 victory over San Francisco. His 548th career home run tied him with Mike Schmidt for 14th on the all-time list and left him two RBIs shy of becoming the 19th player with 1,800.

After not starting in consecutive games, Ramirez could be back Tuesday, and that shouldn't help the Reds (5-8) feel good about their chances.

The Dodgers slugger, hitting .375 this season, has batted .397 in his career against Cincinnati. He was 7 for 16 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 2009 while helping Los Angeles win five of six matchups.

"With the off-day (Monday), we'll take advantage of that, and we hope by Tuesday, it will be all gone," manager Joe Torre told the Dodgers' official website.

Before visiting Washington and New York on this trip, the Dodgers try to improve upon their 22-4 record versus the Reds since the start of the 2006 season. They've lost only one of their last seven series in Cincinnati and are 7-2 at Great American Ballpark since losing their first two games there in August 2007.

Los Angeles won two of three in Cincinnati last season, but will face the only pitcher to beat them in that series Tuesday.

Homer Bailey (0-1, 6.97 ERA) threw eight scoreless innings in a 4-2 victory Aug. 28 and dealt Chad Billingsley the second of a career-high five straight losses. In Bailey's only other start against the Dodgers on July 21, he was tagged for nine runs - six earned - in 2 2-3 innings in a 12-3 rout at Los Angeles.

Billingsley (1-0, 5.73) will be Bailey's counterpart again, looking to improve upon his 3-2 record and 2.45 ERA in five career starts against Cincinnati.

After earning a win in his season debut April 8 in Pittsburgh, the right-hander gave up six runs over 5 2-3 innings Wednesday in a 9-7, 11-inning loss to Arizona.

That same day, Bailey started the Reds' current five-game slide by allowing five runs over 5 1-3 innings in a 5-3 loss at Florida.

Cincinnati, coming off a 5-3 defeat to Pittsburgh on Sunday, is off to its worst start since dropping 13 of 18 to open 2003.

"We just have to keep fighting," manager Dusty Baker told the Reds' official website. "That's the only thing you can do. Keep fighting and hopefully we'll get some breaks."

The Reds haven't lost six in a row since falling in eight straight July 28-Aug. 4.