Cincinnati Reds probable pitchers & starting lineup vs. Oakland A's, April 29

Cincinnati Reds probable pitchers & starting lineup vs. Oakland A's, April 29

1. Probable starting pitchers
2. Cincinnati Reds starting lineup
3. Which Cincinnati Reds player needs to bounce back in today's game?
4. Which Cincinnati Reds player will be the X-factor in today's game?

Probable starting pitchers

After a 16-hit, 11-run performance on Friday night, the Cincinnati Reds are back at it on Saturday afternoon in the Bay Area. The Reds will try to make it five straight as they battle the Oakland Athletics in Game 2 of a three-game series.

The Reds will send Hunter Greene to the mound after a tremendous effort last Sunday. Greene went six innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates and struck out six batters while allowing just one run on four hits.

Greene will be opposed by left-hander Kyle Muller. The former Atlanta Braves pitcher was part of the trade that sent catcher Sean Murphy to the ATL. Muller is 0-2 on the year with a 7.23 ERA and 11 walks to 17 punch outs.

Cincinnati Reds starting lineup

As expected, it's a right-handed heavy lineup for David Bell with a left-hander on the bump for the Athletics. Jonathan India, Spencer Steer, and Stuart Fairchild will begin the game for the Redlegs, hitting 1-2-3 in the batting order.

Tyler Stephenson will be the designated hitter in today's contest and is followed by Henry Ramos, Kevin Newman, and Nick Senzel. Jose Barrero is in center field today and Luke Maile will be hanging the signs for Hunter Greene.

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

Spencer Steer just hasn't had it lately. The Cincinnati Reds rookie is hitless in his last three games, going 0-for-15 with five strikeouts. The Redlegs need Steer to perform if he's going to remain near the top David Bell's lineup card.

Perhaps more troubling has been the fact that Steer has drawn just one walk over the past seven games. Spencer Steer looks to be a big part of this Reds team moving forward and Cincinnati needs him to get back to the player the fanbase saw to begin the year.

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

After a two-hit, two-RBI night at the dish, Jose Barrero is beginning to look more and more like the player we'd all heard about for the past few years. Over the last 15 games, Barrero has slashed .234/.339/.383 with eight walks.

The strikeouts are there as well. Barrero's has swung and missed 15 times in the last 15 games, but if the 25-year-old can keep his walk-rate up, the Cincinnati Reds can live with 25-percent strikeout-rate. Barrero has walked in nearly 15-percent of his last 56 plate appearances.