Reds rookie starter Johnny Cueto was good Tuesday night, but the Dodgers’ Chad Billingsley was better.

Billingsley struck out nine Reds in 6.1 innings, leading Los Angeles to a 3-1 victory over the Reds at Great American Ball Park, snapping the Dodgers' five-game losing streak.

Cueto went seven innings, allowed two runs on five hits, walked three and struck out two. It was Cueto's eighth quality start of the season and third in his last four starts.

"(Billingsley) shut us down both times he's faced us this year. It's bad when you don't score runs," Red manager Dusty Baker said. "We had some opportunities to score some runs and we didn't get it done."

Billingsley struck out every Reds starter but Adam Dunn before leaving with bases loaded in the seventh inning up 2-0. Dodger manager Joe Torre brought in left-hander Joe Beimel to face pinch-hitter Javier Valentin. Valentin grounded out to first baseman James Loney, but Loney bobbled the ball and could'’t turn the double play, allowing one run to score. Leadoff man Corey Patterson grounded out to second to end the inning and the Reds' best threat of the night.

On Ken Griffey Jr. day at Great American Ball Park, Griffey was available only to pinch hit in the ninth because of illness. That left the Reds very short on outfielders, with Norris Hopper on a rehab assignment in Louisville and Ryan Freel on the disabled list.

Andy Phillips, Joey Votto and Jolbert Cabrera have all played the outfield, but Votto hadn't played there since last season, Phillips hasn't played in the outfield since spring training and Cabrera played 16 games in right field and two in left field for the Bats this season.

"(I'm) very limited in my outfield, I don't think (Andy) Phillips has played outfield since spring training. I know everyone out there is wondering why I didn't pinch-hit for Corey there in the seventh, but Corey has traditionally been better against left-handers than right-handers in his career and I was limited in my outfield," Baker said. "I didn't have Junior today and I had a couple of situations where I really didn't want to put guys out there who haven't played out there, because that ball will find you. With the roster we have now, you're kind of stuck on what you can do and when you can do it. It's easy to say put somebody out there, it just doesn't work like that."

The stats don't exactly match Baker's statement -- in his career, Patterson is hitting .261 against right-handed pitchers and .240 against left-handed pitchers, and he came into Tuesday's game hitting .197 against right-handers and .172 against left-handers.

"Check the numbers last year and a couple of years ago, that's the case,” Patterson said when asked about his hitting left-handers. "Sometimes, that's how it is. I don't have a rhyme or reason for it, but that's just how it is sometimes. I can't really explain it."

Last season, Patterson hit .261 against left-handers and .240 against right-handers. He also had a better batting average against lefties in 2004 and as a rookie in 2001.

Regardless, Patterson got another chance in the ninth inning against Dodgers right-handed closer Takashi Saito with Votto on first. Patterson hit one hard, but right at first baseman James Loney for the final out of the game. With his lead-off single in the first (which was followed by a caught stealing), Patterson's average stayed at .193.

"I thought I had some good at-bats, I thought I hit the ball hard the first at-bat and got a hit, last at-bat I hit it hard, just at somebody," Patterson said. "I don't concern myself on results, I know people who look at results and study charts and comparisons and do all that, but if I have the right approach -- and it's cliché but so true -- if you have the right approach and mindset, as a player you don't care about the result. You know if you can constantly do that coming into the season, you'll have your results.

"In the meantime, we all go through ups and downs, you can't worry about results -- I grounded out, I swung at a ball a little but outside and stuck out because of that -- or you're only going to dig yourself in a hole deeper. I've been in this situation before. Can I be playing better? Yes, without a doubt. I'm not going to feel sorry for myself or make excuses, I've just got to keep playing the game and find something that's consistent that works for me."