(My Sportsbook) - Veteran Roy Oswalt tries to restart the most dominant pitcher-vs.-team stretches in major league history when he leads the Houston Astros into Great American Ball Park for the first of three games against the Cincinnati Reds.

Oswalt, a 31-year-old Mississippi native, is a ridiculous 23-1 against the Reds in his big-league career, including four wins and a 2.52 earned run average in four starts last season.

He managed a no-decision against the Reds to begin 2009, however, allowing five hits in six scoreless innings on April 17 in Houston, a game the Astros eventually lost by a 2-1 margin.

Four overall starts this season have yielded a pair of losses and two no- decisions, with Oswalt still seeking win No. 1 after allowing a combined 29 hits and 13 runs in 25 innings.

For the Reds, young Dominican righty Johnny Cueto looks for a third straight strong outing and a second straight win.

Tagged for eight hits and four runs over six frames in a 10-2 loss to Pittsburgh on April 11, Cueto has bounced back to pitch well while getting a no-decision against Oswalt and the Astros and a win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

He allowed two hits and a run to Houston over 4 2/3 innings in the aforementioned 2-1 Reds win, then blanked the Cubs on four hits over seven innings on April 22 to earn his first victory and lower his season ERA to 2.55 in 17 2/3 innings.

The 23-year-old was 0-3 in four starts against Houston last season, giving up 32 hits and 18 runs in 20 2/3 innings.

On Sunday in Houston, Ivan Rodriguez's solo home run in the fourth inning was the difference, as the Astros took the finale of a three-game series from Milwaukee and avoided the home sweep with a 3-2 win at Minute Maid Park.

Five relievers combined to hold the lead for starter Russ Ortiz (2-0), who lasted five frames and yielded a pair of runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts in the win. Jose Valverde pitched the ninth to notch his second save this season.

Carlos Lee had an RBI single and Geoff Blum notched a pair of hits for Houston, which had lost three in a row overall.

In Cincinnati, Jay Bruce belted a pair of two-run homers and Micah Owings threw seven impressive innings, as the Reds avoided a three-game sweep with a resounding 8-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Joey Votto doubled twice and knocked in three runs for the Reds, who won for the fifth time in their last eight games.

Owings (1-2) tossed seven strong innings, allowing just a run on six hits, and finished 2-for-3 at the plate. He also struck out six while walking three batters.