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Lowe looks for unusual support against Nationals

May 30, 2007 - 3:31 PM LA Dodgers (30-21) at Washington (21-31) 7:05 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Derek Lowe has to hope his team will start supporting him like they do some of his fellow pitching mates.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will aim for their sixth win in seven games when they continue a three-game set against the Washington Nationals at RFK Stadium on Wednesday.

Lowe (4-5, 3.64 ERA) has two complete games and a 2.60 ERA in five May starts, but is only 2-2 due to a lack of support from both his lineup and his relievers. He allowed one run and four hits over six innings on Friday against the Chicago Cubs, leaving with a four-run lead before the Dodgers' bullpen imploded.

On May 10, the righthander pitched eight scoreless frames against Florida but his offense could not muster any support for him, ultimately leading to Lowe suffering a hard-luck loss in a 3-0 defeat as the Marlins broke a scoreless tie in the ninth.

The sinkerballer is 2-0 with a 4.12 ERA in eight lifetime appearances - including two starts against the franchise formerly known as the Montreal Expos.

Los Angeles captured a 10-0 victory in Tuesday's series opener, as Brad penny threw 6 1/3 strong innings and Luis Gonzalez homered and drove in three runs.

Mike Bacsik (1-0, 1.98) will make third start of the season for the Nationals filling for the injured Jason Bergmann.

In his last outing, the lefthander yielded three runs and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings of the Nationals' 4-3 triumph at Cincinnati to earn his first major league win since 2004.

Bacsik has made only one start against the Dodgers in his career, lasting six innings but not factoring into the decision as a member of the New York Mets back in 2002.