Reds begin West Coast swing against Dodgers

LOS ANGELES -- Coming off a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cincinnati Reds engage in a six-game West Coast swing beginning Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

Reds rookie left-hander Amir Garrett (3-4, 7.17 ERA) will oppose Dodgers southpaw Rich Hill (2-2, 4.15) in the opener. Garrett and the Reds (29-30) will try to end a six-game losing streak at Dodger Stadium, where they also have dropped the past five series

"We know how good the Dodgers have been the past few years," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We're going to see some good left-handed pitchers. We're going out West, which is always a challenge. We'll get used to the time change, maybe get some sunny weather."

Garrett is quite familiar with the sunshine, having pitched college ball at nearby Cal State Northridge and briefly playing baseball and basketball in high school in the Southern California area.

Garrett will be making his second appearance since coming off the 10-day disabled list with right hip inflammation. He was shelled in his last start, giving up nine runs (eight earned) on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings in a 13-8 setback to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.

Garrett has been tagged for at least six runs in his last three starts. He has never faced the Dodgers before.

The Reds are riding a four-game winning streak after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2 on Thursday at Great American Ball Park. Joey Votto homered and drove in two runs in the win.

On Tuesday, Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett became the 17th major league player and first Cincinnati player to homer four times in a game, leading to a 13-1 rout of the Cardinals.

Hill allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in four innings in his last outing, a 10-8 victory by the Dodgers over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Hill struck out five and walked four but did not factor into the decision.

Against the Reds, Hill is 3-2 with a 4.05 ERA in his career. He hasn't faced them since Sept. 29, 2007, when he was a member of the Chicago Cubs. In that contest, Hill tossed six scoreless innings, fanning four and issuing one walk in a 4-0 win by the Cubs.

The Dodgers (36-25), who were off Thursday, ended a three-game skid with a 2-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday behind a three-hitter by Clayton Kershaw. Corey Seager homered and Yasmani Grandal hit a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning that sparked the Dodgers' rally.

The win helped restore some confidence for the Dodgers, who dropped two of three to the Nationals, who own the best record in the National League.

"I think we battled, I think we had some missed opportunities in the first two games, so it's one of those things to learn from so hopefully we can take advantage next time," said Seager, who has reached base in 15 of the last 16 games at home.

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner might make his return against the Reds. Turner has missed the past 19 games after sustaining a right hamstring strain. He went on the 10-day disabled list on May 19. At the time, Turner was leading the National League with a .379 batting average.

Turner's addition could provide a boost to the Dodgers' offense, which has managed just five runs in the past four games.