Lowe again comes to Dodgers’ rescue

CINCINNATI -- Derek Lowe conceded that the game he pitched Wednesday night wasn’t his finest this season, his solid but unspectacular pitching line in the Dodgers’ 6-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park supporting his case: 5 1/3 innings, one run, three hits, two walks and six strikeouts.

“But,” Lowe said, “I may be more proud of this game than any because it was a struggle from absolute pitch No. 1.”

By moving up his start by a day to pitch in place of Hiroki Kuroda, Lowe led the Dodgers to their second consecutive win at a time when victories, runs and healthy arms are scarce.

This was the second time Lowe cut his rest short, the first time being in Anaheim on May 18, when he traded spots in the rotation with a stiff-shouldered Brad Penny and pitched on three days’ rest. He was hammered that day for seven runs and 10 hits over five innings in his worst performance this season.

The off day on the Dodgers’ schedule Monday allowed Lowe to pitch on four days’ rest Wednesday, which Kuroda spent being examined by team physician Neal ElAttrache. An MRI exam revealed that the right-hander Kuroda had tendinitis and an impingement in his pitching shoulder, which he said first tightened on him on May 27 in Chicago.

But normal rest didn’t let Lowe perform his usual routine in the days leading up to his start. Unaware that he would be asked to alter his schedule, Lowe did the lower-body workout Tuesday that he usually does two days before a start.

Manager Joe Torre said the fatigue in Lowe was obvious, which is why he told him he would be pulled upon recording the first out of the sixth inning. Lowe, who gave up his only run on a home run by Edwin Encarnacion in the second inning, struck out Jolbert Cabrera and retreated to the bench.

He won the game to improve to 5-6, including 3-2 with a 1.96 earned-run average over his last six starts.

Taking over was Hong-Chih Kuo, who inherited and protected a 3-1 lead by pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.88.

The Dodgers got ahead by exploiting the Reds’ mistakes, with Juan Pierre scampering home on a wild pitch by Lowe’s former teammate in Boston, Bronson Arroyo (4-6).

Reds catcher David Ross double-clutched the ball in the second inning to let Matt Kemp steal second base, putting him in position to score on a single by Andre Ethier and double the lead to 2-0. Ethier was three for four.

James Loney crushed a hanging two-strike breaking ball into the right-field stands in the fourth inning for his sixth home run. Loney, who was two for three with a walk, drove in Blake DeWitt with a double in the sixth.

The Dodgers rallied for two runs in the seventh inning, with a triple by Pierre driving in Ethier and Angel Berroa.

“It was what managers like to see, where you score an inning, you score an inning, you score another inning,” Torre said. “It was something we haven’t done for a while, to sustain some kind of offense.”

Torre was particularly pleased with Loney’s approach at the plate. Loney, who has hit safely in his last 15 starts, saw 21 pitches in his four plate appearances.

“I’m trying not to get too happy in certain situations, certain counts,” Loney said. “Don’t expect a 2-0 fastball right down the middle. As a team, we’re done that, too, sometimes. We might’ve missed our pitch in those counts. If we can learn that, we’ll be better off.”

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dylan.hernandez@latimes.com