(My Sportsbook) - Dominican right-hander Johnny Cueto takes the first step toward trying to avoid the sophomore jinx tonight, when the Cincinnati Reds host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Great American Ball Park.

A 23-year-old product of the baseball factory of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, Cueto reached the majors last season and was occasionally brilliant but frequently inconsistent. He finished with a 9-14 mark with a 4.81 earned run average over 31 starts and 174 innings.

Cueto was scintillating at the outset of his rookie season last April, allowing one run on one hit over seven innings in his debut against Arizona and following it up with 6 1/3 innings of five-hit, two-run ball five days later against Milwaukee.

Ironically, he suffered the first loss of his career last April 13 at Pittsburgh, surrendering five hits and five runs in six innings of a 9-1 loss. Overall against the Pirates, he was 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts, giving up 18 hits and eight earned runs in 16 innings.

Facing Cueto for the visiting Pirates will be right-hander Jeff Karstens, who makes his season debut after going 2-6 with a 4.03 ERA in 2008 while splitting nine starts between Pittsburgh and the New York Yankees.

Now 26, Karstens spent the bulk of his time in Triple-A last season, going 6-4 in 12 starts with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a 3.80 ERA in 68 2/3 innings.

He came to the National League on July 26 in a trade that sent outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte to the Yankees in exchange for himself, pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and two minor leaguers.

After winning consecutive starts against the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks while allowing no runs and seven hits in 15 innings, Karstens tumbled back to earth in his final seven appearances, losing six times while allowing at least four earned runs on four occasions.

He dropped a 5-1 verdict to the Reds on August 12 in Pittsburgh, getting tagged for seven hits and three earned runs in seven innings.

Ohlendorf pitched in the Pirates' finale of a four-game series with St. Louis on Thursday, giving up two runs on seven hits over six innings to receive a hard-luck loss in Pittsburgh's 2-1 defeat.

Yadier Molina and pinch hitter Brian Barden each had an RBI and veteran Chris Carpenter tossed seven innings of one-hit ball for the Cardinals, who salvaged a split of the season-opening set.

Nyjer Morgan knocked in the lone RBI for the Pirates, who had just one hit in the entire game.

The Reds avoided a three-game sweep at home to the New York Mets with an 8-6 victory on Thursday. Joey Votto led the way by clubbing a three-run homer and finishing with four RBI.

Votto had three hits and Paul Janish drove in a pair of runs for the Reds, while Darnell McDonald and Brandon Phillips both knocked in runs in a winning cause.

Reds starter Bronson Arroyo collected the win despite yielding five runs and eight hits in six frames. Francisco Cordero later struck out the side in the ninth for his first save of the season.

Pittsburgh won nine of 15 matchups between these NL Central foes last season and went 5-4 in Cincinnati in 2008.