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Dickey returns to face Cueto, Reds

Jun 22, 2014 - 12:37 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Blue Jays opted to give veteran R.A. Dickey some extra rest after a groin injury knocked him out of his last start.

The Cincinnati Reds usually can't get Johnny Cueto back out on the mound fast enough.

The two six-game winners go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game series at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park.

Dickey was previously in action last Saturday in Baltimore, exiting after 6 2/3 frames due to injury and taking a loss despite giving up just two earned runs. He was in line to start the opener of this set on Friday, but will now go on an extra three days of rest.

The 39-year-old righty had a four-start unbeaten streak (2-0) snapped with the loss to the Orioles and is 6-5 on the year with a 4.08 earned run average.

Dickey is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA in three previous meetings with the Reds.

Cueto, meanwhile, is 6-5 with a 1.92 ERA on the year and logged six scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 11. He then took on the rival Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday and did not factor into a 6-5 win despite giving up just two runs over six frames.

The righty, though, did struggle by allowing seven hits and four walks while notching just two strikeouts. Still, Cueto sits at 6-5 with a 1.92 ERA on the year.

Cueto, 28, beat Toronto on June 25, 2009 the only other time he faced the club, but did give up five runs over six frames of work.

The Reds blew an early 8-0 lead in losing Friday's opener, but did not make the same mistake last night en route to an 11-1 triumph that evened the series.

Each of the Reds' first seven hitters contributed an RBI, with Jay Bruce and Devin Mesoraco homering to help Cincinnati snap a two-game skid and win for the seventh time in 10 games.

Mike Leake allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts over eight solid innings to get the win.

"What (Leake) did today by staying in the game for eight innings and giving us a chance to win the game, was save our bullpen," said Reds manager Bryan Price. "It was hopefully something that will pay dividends (Sunday)."

J.A. Happ was roughed up for eight runs -- seven earned -- over four innings of work for the Blue Jays, who have lost four of their last five and fell to 3-6 on a 10-game road trip.

Like Dickey on Friday, the Blue Jays will give shortstop Jose Reyes some precautionary rest today after he fouled a ball off his leg in the fifth inning of Saturday's loss. Reyes came out of the game and is day-to-day.

"I have to ice it like three more times tonight and see how it feels tomorrow," Reyes said on Toronto's official website. "Right now it's a little bit sore, but it's not a big deal.

"(Manager John Gibbons) went to my locker and said he was going to give me the day off. It's OK, I'll take that and see what happens."

Toronto is 9-5 versus Cincinnati dating back to the 2003 campaign.