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Nationals look for consecutive road wins vs. Reds

May 23, 2007 - 2:22 PM Washington (17-29) at Cincinnati (18-28) 7:10 pm EDT

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- After stopping a nine-game road losing streak, the Washington Nationals hope Jason Simontacchi can even his own record this season.

Simontacchi and the Nationals look for their first road series winning streak when they face the equally struggling Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.

Washington evened this four-game series at a game apiece with an 8-4 victory at Great American Park on Tuesday. Felipe Lopez hit a grand slam while driving in a career high-tying six runs for the Nationals, who posted their highest run total of the season.

Washington sends Simontacchi (1-2, 5.19 ERA) to mound to see if it can win consecutive road games for the first time this season.

Simontacchi allowed three runs, eight hits and a walk in six innings in a 5-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in his last start on Friday. He will now be making just his fourth start after missing the last two seasons recovering from shoulder surgery.

The 33-year-old last faced the Reds on May 13, 2003. He is 2-4 with a 4.93 ERA in 11 games - six starts - lifetime against Cincinnati.

The Reds are 10 games under .500 and are a major league-worst 6-15 in the month of May.

Kyle Lohse (1-5, 4.75) toes the rubber for Cincinnati hoping to stop a five-game losing streak. The righthander, who is winless since April 15, wants to avoid becoming the first Cincinnati starter in 13 seasons to lose six consecutive appearances. John Smiley lost six in a row from May 13-June 8, 1994.

Lohse, who has an 8.03 ERA during his five-game skid, was tagged for seven runs and seven hits in 1 1/3 innings in a 9-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians last Friday. It was the shortest start of his career.

The Reds have to hope Ken Griffey Jr. can help lead them out of the National League Central cellar. The future Hall of Famer belted a homer for the second straight day Tuesday, giving him 573 for his career and matching Harmon Killebrew for eighth on the all-time list.