(Sports Network) - CC Sabathia's first start as a Milwaukee Brewer could certainly be termed a success. His new team is hoping for a similar result this afternoon from the ace hurler, who will attempt to pitch the Brewers to a much-needed victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park.

The Brewers kicked off the summer trading season with a bang, acquiring the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians on Monday in exchange for top prospect Matt LaPorta, two additional minor leaguers and a player to be named later. One day after the deal, the burly left-hander recorded his first victory in a Milwaukee uniform with six solid innings against Colorado.

Sabathia worked around five walks in his Brewers debut and held the Rockies to three runs -- two earned -- on five hits in Tuesday's 7-3 win. He is now 4-0 with a 1.96 earned run average over his last six starts of the year.

A three-time All-Star, Sabathia amassed a 106-71 overall record in seven-plus seasons with the Indians and captured last year's AL Cy Young Award after delivering a 19-7 record and a 3.21 ERA along with a career-high 209 strikeouts.

Sabathia fired eight shutout innings to defeat the Reds in his second-to-last start with Cleveland, a game in which the 27-year-old yielded just four hits and racked up 11 strikeouts. He is 3-0 with a 2.26 ERA over eight lifetime matchups with Cincinnati.

Milwaukee's brand-new acquisition will be placed in the role of stopper this afternoon, with the Brewers having dropped the first two tests of this three- game series against the surging Reds. In Saturday's showdown, Adam Dunn slugged a pair of home runs to back seven strong innings from All-Star Edinson Volquez as Cincinnati cruised to an 8-2 win.

Dunn finished with four RBI and Jerry Hairston Jr. went 4-for-4 with three runs scored to help the Reds to their third straight victory and seventh triumph in the club's last nine games. Edwin Encarnacion added a solo homer and Jay Bruce drove in two runs to aid Cincinnati's cause.

Volquez (12-3) yielded just two runs -- one earned -- on six hits and struck out 10 to lower his National League-leading ERA to 2.29. The win also moved the standout right-hander into sole possession of second place in the NL in that category, one behind Arizona's Brandon Webb.

Milwaukee, which has now dropped three of four, received a two-run homer from Prince Fielder on the evening. Starting pitcher Seth McClung (5-5) gave up three first-inning runs, but held the Reds scoreless over the remainder of his 6 1/3-inning stint.

With the Reds temporarily shutting down staff ace Aaron Harang until after the All-Star break, the club will call up highly-touted youngster Homer Bailey from Triple-A Louisville to make today's start.

The seventh overall pick of the 2004 draft, Bailey has yet to live up to his advance billing so far during his brief time in the majors. The 22-year-old went 4-2 in nine starts with the Reds last season, but posted a mediocre 5.76 ERA and issued 28 walks in 45 1/3 innings.

Bailey really struggled during a three-start stint with Cincinnati in early June, with the hard-throwing right-hander allowing 15 runs (12 earned) over 12 1/3 total innings and losing all three outings. He also served up six home runs and walked 10 batters over that stretch.

The native Texan was sent back to the minors on June 18 and went 0-2 with a 4.97 ERA in four starts with Louisville following the demotion. This will be Bailey's first career encounter with Milwaukee.

Cincinnati has now won four of five encounters with the Brewers in Milwaukee this season and owns a 5-3 edge in the season series. These teams were 20-20 against one another since the start of the 2006 campaign prior to the Reds' victories on Friday and Saturday.

The Reds have not swept a series in Milwaukee since July 11-13, 2003.