Cincinnati Reds probable pitchers & starting lineup vs. Miami Marlins, May 12

Probable starting pitchers

The Cincinnati Reds, fresh off a series victory over the New York Mets, will send Graham Ashcraft to the hill tonight for Game 1 against the Miami Marlins. The Fish will counter with one of their top prospects, Eury Perez.

Ashcraft is coming off his worst outing of the season. The right-hander allowed eight runs on six hits and couldn't even make it out of the second inning. The Reds will be looking for better results from Ashcraft tonight.

Perez will be making his first major league start in front of the home fans at LoanDepot Park tonight in Miami. Reds hitters have been notorious for struggling against first-time pitchers. Let's hope tonight yields different results for Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Reds starting lineup

TJ Friedl, who left Thursday's game with an injury, won't be in the starting lineup tonight. Leading off will be Jonathan India. He'll be followed by Jake Fraley, Spencer Steer, and Tyler Stephenson.

Nick Senzel has been bumped up to No. 5 on David Bell's lineup card and will be back at third base. Henry Ramos will be the team's DH and be followed by Wil Myers. Stuart Fairchild replaces Friedl in center field, and Jose Barrero is back at shortstop.

Which Cincinnati Reds player needs to bounce back in today's game?

Nobody needs a bounce-back game more so than tonight's starter Graham Ashcraft. For the first time all season, the right-hander ws roughed up for the opposition. Routinely able to go beyond five innings, that was not the case last week against the Chicago White Sox.

Ashcraft will look to rebound in what is typically a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Ashcraft will looking to keep the ball low and get out of innings rather quickly. Ashcraft is not necessarily a strikeout pitcher, so he'll be looking to finish off opposing batters in three pitches or less.

Which Cincinnati Reds player will be the X-factor in today's game?

With TJ Friedl out of the lineup, the Cincinnati Reds will need to look elsewhere for a spark. Perhaps they need look no further than his replacement for tonight's game - Stuart Fairchild.

Fairchild rarely starts when there's a right-hander on the bump, so this is the 27-year's opportunity to shine. Fairchild may not be hitting for average, but he's reaching base safely about once every three at-bats.