Grady Little is a little disappointed with the way his team has been playing at Dodger Stadium. Opening a six-game homestand against the struggling Cincinnati Reds should help.
The Los Angeles Dodgers look for their first seven-game winning streak over the Reds in just over 10 years when the teams kick off a weekend series on Friday night.
The Dodgers (20-15) return home after going 3-4 on their latest road trip, capped by a 3-0 loss to Florida on Thursday. Los Angeles is 8-7 at home this season after having the NL's third-best record last year at 49-32.
"Our success ratio is not where we want it, but we're looking forward to playing at home," Little told the team's official Web site. "We need to start getting better results in home games."
The Dodgers won all six games over the Reds (15-20) last year, sweeping the season series for the first time since moving to Los Angeles in 1958. They have not won seven straight over Cincinnati since Aug. 10, 1996-May 5, 1997.
Shortstop Rafael Furcal hit .379 (11-for-29) with two home runs, three doubles and eight RBIs in six games against the Reds last season, while catcher Russell Martin batted .381 (8-for-21) with a homer and four RBIs.
Randy Wolf (3-3, 4.61 ERA) gets the start for Los Angeles. After three straight winning decisions from April 8-20, the left-hander is 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA in three starts.
He gave up one run and six hits while striking out eight in 5 1-3 innings on Sunday, but did not record a decision in the 6-4 loss to Atlanta.
Wolf, who is in his first season with Los Angeles after eight with Philadelphia, is regressing at home. He allowed four runs over 12 innings in winning his first two starts there, but has been tagged for 11 runs in 11 2-3 innings while losing his last two.
Wolf is 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 11 career starts against the Reds.
Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 569th career homer to tie Rafael Palmeiro for ninth all-time on Thursday as Cincinnati defeated Houston 9-5, snapping a three-game skid.
"It's a long season," Griffey told the Reds' official Web site. "Teams will go up and down. We just have to battle back. Today was a good sign. We need to go have some fun and start believing in ourselves and win some ballgames."
Adam Dunn hit a three-run home run, his sixth long ball in 11 games. The Reds, though, have won just four of those contests.
Cincinnati starts Bronson Arroyo (2-2, 2.85), who has won his first two starts in May after going all of April without a victory.
Arroyo, who won 14 games last season, allowed just 11 earned runs in his five April starts, but received just 10 runs of support.
The right-hander has received 16 runs of support in his last two games, and gave up three runs, five hits and struck out seven in a season-low 5 2-3 innings of a 9-3 win over Colorado on Sunday.
In his only start against Los Angeles last season, Arroyo allowed four runs in six innings of a 10-4 loss on Aug. 1, but did not factor in the decision.