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Jun 10, 2010 - 4:13 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

San Francisco (32-25) at Cincinnati (33-26), 12:35 p.m. EDT

As well as Stephen Strasburg's much-ballyhooed major league debut went earlier this week, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft still has plenty of ground to make up on the pitcher selected seven picks later.

Mike Leake hasn't allowed an earned run in his past two starts, and the Cincinnati Reds' straight-to-the-majors star can improve to 6-0 on Thursday afternoon as he faces the visiting San Francisco Giants.

No one expected Leake (5-0, 2.22 ERA) to be the first pitcher from the 2009 draft to be confounding NL hitters, but that's exactly what he's done since becoming the first player in a decade to bypass the minors on his way to the majors.

Strasburg struck out 14 in his highly anticipated debut for Washington on Tuesday, but Leake already has spent two months establishing himself as a major league force. He seems to be getting better as he goes, limiting opponents to two earned runs over his last four starts.

The right-hander pitched six innings in a 2-0, 10-inning loss to Houston on May 30, then beat the Nationals on Saturday by allowing one unearned run in seven innings of a 5-1 win.

"The thing about him is he pitches to the situation," manager Dusty Baker told the Reds' official website. "If he needs a double play, he throws his best double-play pitch. If he needs a strikeout, he'll go for the strikeout. That's tough to teach. Most guys don't learn that until far into their careers."

He's the first Cincinnati rookie to win his first five decisions since Santo Alcala in 1976. No Reds pitcher has ever been undefeated through 11 major league starts.

"There's a little luck involved with wins and losses," Leake said. "I worry about going and keeping the game close."

This will be Leake's first start against San Francisco (32-26) as the Reds try to salvage a split of this four-game set. Cincinnati (34-26) has not lost a series at home since dropping two of three to San Diego from April 23-25.

The Reds had dropped the series' first two games after being shut out by Matt Cain on Tuesday, but the NL's top offense bounced back Wednesday. Leadoff hitter Orlando Cabrera and cleanup hitter Scott Rolen combined for seven hits - five doubles - in a 6-3 win.

Cabrera snapped an 0-for-12 slump with four hits.

"Nobody's worried about Orlando Cabrera," said Rolen, hitting .441 with three homers and 10 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak. "He plays hard every day."

Cabrera and Rolen helped Cincinnati overcome the first major league homer from Buster Posey, who continues to shine as he gets adjusted to the majors. The Giants' prized rookie is batting .450 and has hit safely in 10 of 11 games.

San Francisco might need a lot of offensive support with Todd Wellemeyer (3-5, 5.72) on the hill. Wellemeyer gave up six runs and nine hits in three innings in Saturday's 6-3 loss at Pittsburgh, falling to 0-4 with a 10.62 ERA in five road starts.

"It's hard to figure out, because he throws the ball so well at home and keeps the ball down," manager Bruce Bochy told the Giants' official website. "He doesn't get a lot of sink on the road."

Wellemeyer is 1-3 with a 5.00 ERA in five starts against Cincinnati, but he's had success against many of the Reds' top hitters. Rolen, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce and Joey Votto are a combined 4 for 29 with nine strikeouts versus Wellemeyer.