By JEFF MEZYDLO
STATS Senior Writer

Cincinnati (58-47) at Pittsburgh (36-67), 7:05 p.m. EDT

After enjoying a winning home series against a first-place team,
the Cincinnati Reds hope to avoid a letdown and continue their
success over the club at the bottom of their own division.

The Reds try for a third straight victory overall and against
the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night at PNC Park.

One-half game behind NL Central-leading St. Louis, Cincinnati
(59-47) fared well against another division leader by taking two
of three from Atlanta over the weekend. Brandon Phillips hit a
tying triple and scored the go-ahead run in the Reds' 2-1 win
Sunday.

"Things seem to be clicking our way," pitcher Bronson Arroyo
told the Reds' official website. "We play hard, keep it close
and give ourselves an opportunity to win."

Cincinnati has won four of five and now heads to Pittsburgh,
where it swept a three-game set from the Pirates (36-68) on May
10-12. The Reds have allowed 10 runs while winning six of seven
against the Pirates, who look to avoid a fifth consecutive loss.

"We're going back on the road where it's always tough, no matter
who you are playing," Reds manager Dusty Baker said.

Phillips is 8 for 23 with seven RBIs in his last five games.

Joey Votto went 1 for 8 with four strikeouts in the last two
games against Atlanta, but is batting .426 in his last 11
overall. The NL MVP candidate is 6 for 15 with a homer and five
RBIs in his last four games versus Pittsburgh. He is 4 for 7
with a double, triple and home run versus Pittsburgh's scheduled
starter Ross Ohlendorf (1-8, 4.35 ERA).

The right-hander appears set to make this start after being hit
in the head by a line drive in the first inning of a 6-2 win at
Colorado on Wednesday. Ohlendorf was able to walk off the mound
on his power and maintain his regular routine between starts.

"(He's) very lucky, very lucky," manager John Russell told the
team's official website.

Ohlendorf, 0-2 with a 4.20 ERA in four starts since beating
Philadelphia on July 2, has not been so lucky against the Reds.
He is 1-2 with a 4.09 ERA in four starts versus Cincinnati,
including 0-2 with a 3.60 ERA this season.

The Reds counter with Travis Wood (1-1, 2.87), who looks to
build on his first career victory. In his sixth career start,
Wood allowed two runs and struck out six in five innings of a
10-2 win at Milwaukee on Wednesday.

"It feels good," Wood said.

The left-hander will make his first appearance against the
Pirates, who were swept at St. Louis after falling 9-1 on
Sunday.

Rookie Jose Tabata and Lastings Milledge each had two hits for
Pittsburgh, which has been outscored 30-5 during its four-game
skid.

Budding Pirates star Garret Jones is 2 for 15 in his last four
games, and 6 for 36 against the Reds this season.

Acquired in a five-player trade with Arizona over the weekend,
catcher Chris Snyder could be in the Pirates' lineup. Snyder is
batting .231 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs.