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Dodgers look to finish interleague season on high note

Jun 24, 2007 - 2:55 PM LA Dodgers (42-32) at Tampa Bay (32-40) 1:40 pm EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) - The Los Angeles Dodgers hope to end another disappointing interleague season on a high note as they finish their three-game series with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Sunday.

The Dodgers will wrap up their third consecutive sub-.500 season against the American League, going just 15-32 in that span, including a 5-9 record this season.

Los Angeles will send Hong-Chih Kuo (1-2, 6.65 ERA), who will pitch on three days' rest despite a terrible outing his last time out. On Wednesday, he surrendered a career-high eight runs and six hits in just 1 2/3 innings of a 12-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The lefthander was moved up in the rotation to give Sunday's scheduled starter, Brad Penny, an extra day off in preparation for Monday's four-game series with Arizona. This will be Kuo's first career start against the Devil Rays.

Tampa Bay will counter with former Dodger Edwin Jackson (0-8, 7.85), who is in search of his first win despite making 14 starts.

He came close in his last outing, but had to leave Monday's 10-2 win over the Diamondbacks after 4 2/3 innings due a cramp in his right index finger, one out short of the five needed to get credit for the win. The righthander yielded two runs and four hits on Monday. It was the first time Jackson departed with a lead in 13 starts.

He looks to avoid the dubious distinction of coming within one start of matching Scott Elarton, who went 16 games to open the season before his first win with Cleveland in 2004.

Jackson, who defeated Randy Johnson in his 2003 major league debut, has not won since September 26, 2005. This will be his first career start against Los Angeles.