San Francisco @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 20, 2015 ) Cincinnati 6, San Francisco 5

The Cincinnati Reds send ace Johnny Cueto to the mound on Thursday as they seek their third consecutive victory in the opener of a four-game series against the visiting San Francisco Giants. The Reds, who have played the second-fewest home games in the National League, rebounded from a three-game losing streak to take the final two of their series against Atlanta.

San Francisco had to settle for a two-game split in Houston to fall to 8-4 this month. Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum has never beaten Cincinnati but the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner is riding a 15-inning scoreless streak. Reds third baseman Todd Frazier has homered in back-to-back games and is tied with Washington's Bryce Harper for the NL lead with 12. Teammate Marlon Byrd is also in the midst of a power surge with five blasts in his last 10 games.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Tim Lincecum (3-2, 2.00 ERA) vs. Reds RH Johnny Cueto (3-3, 2.98)

Lincecum has not allowed a run in his last two starts, blanking Miami on three hits and striking out a season-high eight over six innings on Friday. He went eight stellar innings in his previous turn, limiting the Los Angeles Angels to three hits. Lincecum, who has yielded only one homer in his six starts, has a rocky history versus the Reds with an 0-4 record and bloated 9.79 ERA is six career outings.

Cueto's numbers were not reflective of his dominance in his last outing, as three of the four runs he allowed came in the ninth inning of a 10-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox. It marked the sixth time in seven turns that the 29-year-old Dominican has pitched at least seven innings. One concern is Cueto's recent penchant for giving up the long ball - he has surrendered two home runs in each of his last three starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. The away team has won six straight in the series, including a four-game sweep by the Reds at San Francisco last June.

2. Frazier is batting .392 with five homers in 22 career games against San Francisco.

3. Giants rookie 2B Matt Duffy is riding a seven-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Reds 5, Giants 2