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(Sports Network) - Young right-hander Edinson Volquez makes his second start of the season for Cincinnati when the Reds head to PNC Park for the first of a three-game weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A 24-year-old Dominican, Volquez was effective in his first start with the Reds, scattering five hits and allowing a single run over 5 1/3 innings in an 8-2 defeat of Philadelphia on April 6.

He had spent the balance of his brief big-league career with the Texas Rangers, making 20 appearances over parts of three seasons before coming to Cincinnati in exchange for outfielder Josh Hamilton in an offseason trade.

Volquez has never faced the Pirates.

Lefty Paul Maholm will attempt to rebound from a poor start to 2008 for Pittsburgh. The 25-year-old, a former first-round draft pick in 2003, was touched for five runs on five hits in five innings of the Pirates' 7-3 loss at Florida on April 5, a game in which he walked one and struck out nine.

He was a 10-game winner for Pittsburgh in 2007, going 10-15 in 29 starts with a 5.02 earned run average on 177 2/3 innings.

Maholm is 2-3 lifetime against the Reds in 10 starts with a 4.84 ERA in 61 1/3 innings.

On Thursday in Milwaukee, Aaron Harang tossed eight strong innings and the Reds used a three-run seventh to get past the Brewers, 4-1, at Miller Park.

Harang (1-1) was masterful in earning his first win of the season, allowing just one run on five hits. He threw 99 pitches, 74 for strikes, while fanning three and walking none. Francisco Cordero nailed down the save with a perfect ninth, making his first appearance against his old team.

Edwin Encarnacion slugged a two-run homer and Paul Bako went 2-for-3 and drove in a pair for the Reds, who have won two straight and four of their last six overall.

In Pittsburgh, Mike Fontenot and Geovany Soto both hit two-run home runs and Jon Lieber provided 4 1/3 innings of scoreless long relief, as the Chicago Cubs finished a sweep of the Pirates with a 7-3 victory.

Pittsburgh hurler Matt Morris (0-1) was sailing along until the sixth frame. The veteran right-hander was tagged for seven runs -- four earned -- on 11 hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Nate McLouth and Ronny Paulino each collected two hits for the Pirates, who have lost five of their last six.

Cincinnati won the season series with the Pirates, 9-7, a year ago.