(SportsNetwork.com) - The Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox are coming off a split of a doubleheader and will play Sunday's rubber match at U.S. Cellular Field.
Friday's opener of the series was postponed because of rain, forcing Saturday's twinbill in this Interleague matchup.
The Reds crushed the White Sox, 10-4, in the opener and Marlon Byrd hit a three-run homer during a seven-run ninth inning. Skip Schumaker went 3-for-5 with two RBI and Johnny Cueto leveled his record at 3-3 with 8 1/3 decent innings. Cueto gave up four runs and six hits with seven K's and two walks.
Reds first baseman Joey Votto served a one-game suspension for bumping an umpire on Wednesday against Pittsburgh. He was also fined for the incident.
White Sox starter Hector Noesi left in the second inning after getting hit in the hip with a line drive. Noesi is day-to-day and said the area was tightening up toward the end of the night.
"When you are not doing anything, it's going to get tight," Noesi said.
Scott Carroll took the loss after giving up three runs -- two earned -- on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. Alexei Ramirez and Jose Abreu both homered.
Chicago returned the favor in the evening with an 8-2 victory, as Ramirez homered again and both Avisail Garcia and Gordon Beckham followed suit with blasts of their own. Beckham had three RBI on the night and Ramirez finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
Carlos Rodon earned his first major league win and limited Cincinnati to a pair of runs and four hits in six innings. He struck out eight and walked four batters.
"I felt real comfortable," Rodon said. "Just the same old thing, different ballgame."
The White Sox have won three of five contests and will play the next six games on the road against Milwaukee and Oakland.
Votto recorded three hits and two RBI in the nightcap for the Reds, who had won four of six games. Jason Marquis suffered the loss for allowing five runs and 10 hits, including three homers, in 5 2/3 innings.
"I didn't do a very good job of keeping the ball down in the zone tonight," Marquis said. "They did a good job of hitting the mistakes. It would have been nice to take both games today. I put the team in the hole early. It's no fun going out there and giving up five runs."
Cincinnati has scored three runs or fewer four times in the past six games and will start a seven-game homestand Monday versus Atlanta and San Francisco.
The Reds will send youngster Michael Lorenzen to the bump Sunday for his third career start. Lorenzen lost to Milwaukee on April 29, allowing three runs in five innings of an 8-3 loss, then defeated Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Lorenzen pitched six innings of one-run ball against the Pirates for his first Major League win. The right-hander hopes to have similar success against a White Sox club he will face for the first time.
John Danks looks to put a rough start behind him when he counters Lorenzen Sunday. Danks was reached for seven runs -- three earned -- and eight hits in only 2 1/3 innings of Chicago's 13-3 loss at Minnesota last Sunday.
Danks, who fell to 1-3 with a 6.20 ERA in five starts, has given up no fewer than three runs in every start this season. The left-hander will face Cincinnati for the first time in his career.
The White Sox and Reds are meeting for the first time since 2009, when Chicago took two of three matchups in the Queen City.
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