National League Cy Young Award contender Johnny Cueto tries to end an untimely two-game skid Saturday when the Cincinnati Reds visit the Miami Marlins in game two of a three-game series at Marlins Park.
The 26-year-old Dominican was tied for the NL lead in wins after a 5-2 win at Arizona on Aug. 28, but has since dropped two straight starts to fall behind Washington's Gio Gonzalez and New York's R.A. Dickey.
In home losses to Philadelphia and Houston, he's allowed 17 hits and eight runs in 11 innings with a walk and 11 strikeouts.
Cueto is 8-5 on the road this season and hasn't lost outside of Cincinnati since Aug. 7 in Milwaukee.
He last faced Miami in his first start of 2012 on April 5 and tossed seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball in a 4-0 victory.
For the Marlins, veteran lefty Mark Buehrle faces the Reds for the fourth time in his 394th major-league start.
The 33-year-old won 161 games through 390 appearances with the Chicago White Sox before coming to the Marlins as a free agent in the offseason.
He won just nine of his first 20 decisions with his new team through Aug. 10, but has since won three of four and lowered his earned run average to 3.74.
Buehrle was on the short end of the aforementioned April 5 matchup against Cueto and the Reds, dropping the 4-0 decision after giving up two runs on seven hits in six innings.
On Friday, Jacob Turner spun seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball as the Marlins blanked the Reds, 4-0.
Turner (1-2) struck out three and walked two to earn his first victory as a Marlin. Heath Bell turned in a scoreless eighth, while Steve Cishek worked around a two-out walk in the ninth to secure the shutout.
"I was just being aggressive early, trying to get ahead as much as I could," Turner said. "When I didn't get ahead, I was able to make quality pitches when I was behind in the count and not really give in."
Greg Dobbs clubbed a solo home run and Justin Ruggiano added an RBI and a run scored for the Marlins, who were coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Bronson Arroyo (12-8) was tagged with the loss after giving up all four runs on nine hits and two walks with six strikeouts. The right-hander had won his last five decisions.
"Bronson didn't do badly, we just didn't put up any runs," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He just made that one mistake on Dobbs. Other than that he threw the ball pretty well."
The Reds managed just three hits overall in the setback, but maintain a double-digit advantage atop the NL Central.
The Reds won two of three when the teams played their only previous series of 2012, from April 5-8 in Cincinnati. The Marlins and Reds split six games last season.
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