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Owings, Reds look to solve Brewers

Apr 15, 2009 - 4:39 AM By Matt Beardmore Stats Writer

Cincinnati (4-3) at Milwaukee (2-6), 8:05 p.m. EDT

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Micah Owings can swing the bat. Whether he can effectively pitch after battling back from an injured right shoulder last season remains to be seen.

The righthander makes his Cincinnati mound debut on Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers as the Reds look for their first series sweep at Miller Park in almost six years.

Acquired in September in the deal that sent Adam Dunn to Arizona, Owings (6-9, 5.93 ERA) did not pitch for the Reds last season as he dealt with a strained shoulder. But he made an immediate impact with his bat the day after the trade, doubling home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning in his first at-bat in a Cincinnati uniform to lift the Reds to a 3-2 road victory over the Diamondbacks on Sept. 13.

"My whole life I've been treated as a pitcher and then a hitter," he told the Reds' official Web site. "So I kind of think that since I've made it to the big leagues, it's kind of been the opposite. I consider it as a compliment and respectful.

"By no means do I take it as a knock on my pitching. But that's what I'm here to do and that's what my focus is going to be. Hitting is just a plus."

Owings, a career .322 hitter with five home runs and 21 RBIs, is 1-for-2 with a double in two pinch-hit opportunities in 2009.

On Wednesday, he will make his first start against the Brewers since giving up five runs and eight hits over three innings in Arizona's 10-1 loss on June 4. Owings, though, is looking for a repeat of a strong start in 2008 when he opened the season 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA.

But Owings is 0-2 with an 8.00 ERA lifetime in two career starts versus the Brewers - both in Milwaukee. A solid start could help propel Cincinnati (4-3) to its first series sweep in Milwaukee since July 11-13, 2003.

The Brewers (2-6), meanwhile, send newcomer Braden Looper (0-0, 1.80) to the mound for the first time since the opener of the six-game homestand. Looper went five innings and allowed a run and five hits with four walks as Milwaukee defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Friday.

"I just told myself to back off, and almost throw it as soft as I can," said Looper, limited in spring training due to a tight left oblique muscle.

Playing for St. Louis, the veteran right-hander went 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA in four starts against the Reds last season.

Milwaukee will look to break out of its early-season hitting slump. The Brewers are batting .217 after being held to five hits in Tuesday's 6-1 loss.

"Bats were pretty silent today," Milwaukee first-year manager Ken Macha said after his team dropped its fourth in a row.

Prince Fielder went 0-for-4, dropping his average to .179, while Ryan Braun had one hit in four at-bats. He's batting .200 with two RBIs.

"I think those two guys in particular are trying a little too hard," Macha said.

Fielder is 2-for-5 with two RBIs lifetime against Owings, and Braun has a home run and three RBIs when facing him.

First baseman Joey Votto drove in two runs and went 2-for-5 to improve his average to .393. He leads the Reds with two homers and 10 RBIs.

Cincinnati last three-game series sweep on the road was July 16-18, 2007, at Atlanta.