Cincinnati Reds probable pitchers & starting lineup vs. San Diego Padres, May 2

Cincinnati Reds probable pitchers & starting lineup vs. San Diego Padres, May 2

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

Well, it was bound to happen, right? Typically the Cincinnati Reds' trips to the West Coast oftentimes end with our favorite squad being on the wrong side of the scoreboard. That happened on Monday with the Reds taking it on the chin courtesy of the San Diego Padres.

But there's still hope for Cincinnati as David Bell will turn to, arguably, his best starting pitcher for tonight's game. Graham Ashcraft, fresh off his six innings performance against the Texas Rangers, will look to put the Redlegs back in the win column on Tuesday night.

Thankfully the Reds run against left-handed starters comes to an end on Tuesday. San Diego will send former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha to the mound. The 31-year-old has been hit hard in two of his last three outings, surrendering 15 runs on 25 hits over his last three starts.

Cincinnati Reds starting lineup

Things are looking a little more normal with a right-hander on the bump for the Friars on Tuesday night. Jonathan India leads things off and is followed by TJ Friedl and Spencer Steer. Stuart Fairchild is batting cleanup tonight and fellow outfielder Jake Fraley is hitting fifth.

Nick Senzel is back at the hot corner and Henry Ramos gets the start at DH. Kevin Newman draws the start at shortstop and Curt Casali will be hanging the signs for Graham Ashcraft this evening.

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

Spencer Steer got a base knock and scored a run on Monday night, but the Cincinnati Reds first baseman also went down on strikes three times. On the plus side, there were never men on base when Steer struck out.

Steer has struck out 10 times in his last seven games. Steer has a .333 on-base percentage this season, but that number is sitting at .219 over the last seven contests. If the Reds are going to continue to keep Steer near the top of lineup, the rookie will need to cut down on those swings and misses.

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

Graham Ashcraft will need to do Graham Ashcraft things on Tuesday if the Cincinnati Reds have any hope to compete against the San Diego Padres. Bob Melvin's lineup has All-Stars at virtually every position while David Bell's two All-Stars (Joey Votto and Wil Myers) are on the IL.

Ashcraft has pitched well and gotten himself out of trouble more times than he'd care to count. The one area that Ashcraft needs to fix are the free passes. Graham Ashcraft has walked three or more batters in each of his last three starts.