(My Sportsbook) - Japanese import Kenshin Kawakami makes his fourth start as a major leaguer today when the Atlanta Braves go for a sweep in their three- game weekend series with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

A win today would give the BRaves their first three-game sweep of the Reds since August 23-25, 1999 and their first in Cincinnati since the 1995 campaign.

Kawakami, the Japanese Central League's Most Valuable Player in 2004, left his native land after 2008 with a career earned run average of 3.22.

He debuted for the Braves on April 11 against Washington and picked up a win, scattering four hits and allowing three runs in six innings of a 5-2 triumph.

He's 0-for-2 in starts since, however, allowing a combined 12 hits and six earned runs in 11 innings against Florida and again versus Washington.

Overall, he's struck out 17 batters, walked 10 and allowed an opposition batting average of .250.

For the Reds, No. 5 starter Micah Owings takes the mound for the third time in search of his first win. The player to be named later in a trade for slugging outfielder Adam Dunn last summer, Owings is winless in a pair of starts for the Reds.

He allowed five hits and four runs in five innings of a 9-3 loss at Milwaukee on April 15, then returned six days later to give up five hits and two earned runs over 4 2/3 innings of a 7-2 loss to Chicago.

This is his first home appearance in Cincinnati.

Against the Braves in 2008, Owings won his lone outing after surrendering six hits and two earned runs in six innings.

On Saturday, Chipper Jones and Yunel Escobar each homered and drove in four runs, leading the Braves to a 10-2 rout. Jones belted a three-run homer and added a run-scoring single in the victory, while Escobar was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three runs scored.

David Ross also had two hits with an RBI and two runs scored for the Braves, who notched a 4-3 triumph in the series-opener Friday and have won three in a row.

Derek Lowe (2-1) pitched seven strong innings to earn his second win of the season and first since Opening Night at Philadelphia. He was 0-1 with a pair of no-decisions in three starts since throwing eight shutout innings against the Phillies, and on Saturday limited Cincinnati to a pair of runs on four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo (3-1) lost for the first time in four starts this season. He had allowed nine runs in his first 19 1/3 innings, but the Braves battered him for nine runs on nine hits in just 5 2/3 frames.

Alex Gonzalez clubbed a two-run homer for the Reds, who had won two straight and four of five games before Atlanta hit town.

Cincinnati split its six games with the Braves last season, one year after taking six of seven from them.