Reds 3 - 4 Dodgers
Final
  for this game

Cueto tries to bounce back at Chavez Ravine

May 26, 2014 - 2:29 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto tries to bounce back from a rough outing Monday in the opener of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.

Cueto cruised through his first nine starts, going 4-2 with a 1.25 earned run average, but was hammered in last Tuesday's 9-4 loss at Washington. Cueto permitted a season-high eight runs -- six earned -- in 5 1/3 innings, struck out six batters and walked none.

The right-hander was coming off a three-hit shutout of San Diego on May 15.

Cueto is 4-3 in 10 starts with a 1.86 ERA and has struggled in six career starts against the Dodgers, going 1-4 with a 3.50 ERA.

Cincinnati was hoping to take a three-game series from the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend and dropped Sunday night's contest by a 4-0 score. Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright struck out 12 batters in eight scoreless innings, while Reds starter Mike Leake suffered the defeat for allowing two runs in six innings.

Leake fanned eight and walked two.

"He's pitching winning baseball every time he takes the ball," Reds manager Bryan Price said of Leake. "There's nothing he can do. He's competing, giving us a chance to win."

The Reds have lost five of eight games and will also visit Arizona for four games on their West Coast jaunt.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers closed out their nine-game road trip (5-4) in historic fashion behind Josh Beckett's no-hitter in Sunday's 6-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Beckett walked three and struck out six his first career no-hitter. Beckett threw 128 pitches, 80 for strikes. Hideo Nomo had been the last Dodgers hurler to hold the opposition hitless, in a 9-0 victory at Colorado on Sept. 17, 1996. The Phillies hadn't been held hitless since April 16, 1978 in a 5-0 loss at St. Louis with Bob Forsch earning the victory.

"It's very special. It takes really good defense behind you, a little luck sprinkled in and making pitches when you need to make pitches," Beckett said. "That's a good-hitting team you don't take lightly."

Beckett recorded the 21st no-hitter in franchise history and 11th since the club relocated to Los Angeles.

Justin Turner homered, Adrian Gonzalez had three hits and two RBI and both Turner and Erisbel Arruebarruena ended with two hits and an RBI.

Los Angeles will play its next 10 games at Dodger Stadium versus the Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox.

Dodgers starter Hyun-jin Ryu tries to follow in Beckett's footsteps when he takes the mound Monday. Ryu is 3-1 in his last four decisions and allowed two runs in six innings of a 4-3 victory against the New York Mets last Wednesday, as he improved to 4-2 in eight starts with a 3.00 ERA.

Ryu defeated Cincinnati the only time he faced them last July 27, when he fired seven innings of one-run ball and fanned nine batters in a 4-1 win.

LA lost four of seven meetings with the Reds last season.






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