• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Dunn, Reds look to continue dominance of Indians

May 18, 2008 - 2:17 PM Cleveland (22-21) at Cincinnati (20-23) 1:15 pm EDT

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- The Cincinnati Reds will be looking for a sweep of the three-game "Battle of Ohio" series when they host the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.

The Reds took the first two games of the interleague set behind the powerful bat of Adam Dunn. The slugger blasted a three-run homer off Masa Kobayashi in the bottom of the ninth to give Cincinnati a 4-2 win on Saturday.

Dunn, who is a free agent after this season and has been the subject of trade rumors of late, has homered in each of his last three games, including a two-run blast in the eighth inning on Friday's series opener that lifted the Reds to a 4-3 win.

If Dunn hopes to make it four straight games with a blast, he will have to do something that only one other person has done this season - homer off Cliff Lee (6-0, 0.67 ERA).

Cleveland's surprising lefthander has yielded only one home run and issued only four walks in seven starts this season, dominating the American League by allowing just four earned runs while striking out 44 batters in 53 2/3 innings.

Lee leads the majors in ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio (11:1).

But Cincinnati will counter with its own surprising ace, Edinson Volquez (6-1, 1.12). The young righthander ranks second to Lee in the majors in ERA, leading the National League.

Volquez, 24, has yet to allow more than one earned run in any start this season and sits third in the NL with 57 strikeouts. He has not been hurt despite walking 26 batters, allowing just one home run in 48 1/3 frames.

The Reds, who have won five in a row overall, have taken the last six meetings between the teams.