Opening Day: Buccos v Reds, Lineup, Pitchers, Notes; Lonnie Out w/Broken Hand, Lyles On IL & Other Moves

Game: Showtime, baby, as the Bucs and Reds kick it off at 4:10. The game will be carried by AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte CF, Corey Dickerson LF, Josh Bell 1B, Fran Cervelli C, Jung Ho Kang 3B, Melky Cabrera RF, Eric Gonzalez SS, Jameson Taillon P. No surprises w/Lonnie out. The Reds will have a much improved middle of the lineup this year, featuring Joey Votto, Matt Kemp, Eugenio Suárez and Yasiel Puig. They will miss Scooter Gennett, who is out for several weeks, along with their top rookie Nick Senzel.

Pitchers: RHP Jameson Taillon takes on RHP Luis Castillo. Jamo is carrying a 22-game streak of allowing three or fewer earned runs from last year, when he posted a 3-2/3.16 line against Cincy. Taillon follows Ivan Nova, Gerrit Cole and Frankie Liriano (three straight) as the Opening Day pitcher; Castillo is the fifth different starter to pitch the Reds Opener in five years, and was 1-2/5.06 against Pittsburgh in 2018.

Notes:

• Ouch - Lonnie Chisenhall has a broken finger and will be out 4-6 weeks, so JB Shuck has made the club, as did Steven Brault. Lonnie, Elias Diaz (virus), Jordan Lyles (right side cramps), Jose Osuna (neck), Gregory Polanco (shoulder) and Dovy Neverauskas (oblique) went on the 10-day DL. Pitchers Jake Barrett and Aaron Slegers were DFA'ed while Edgar Santana was moved to the 60-day IL. That leaves the fifth starter in the air; the Bucs don't need one until the 7th. And in an odd twist of fate, Gregory may be back before his replacement, Chisenhall.
• Random Numbers - The Reds have lost their last two season openers and are 6-10 at GABP on Opening Day. This is the 29th Opener between the two teams; the Bucs are 22-7 and have won five straight season kickoffs. Pittsburgh was 14-5 v Cincy in 2018.
• Eric Davis will throw out the first pitch; Johnny Bench will catch it. Joe Morgan is honorary captain and Commish Rob Manfred is here to celebrate baseball’s first pro team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings. Joe West is behind the plate.
• From Baseball America - NL Central outlook: Cubs: Don't be fooled by the quiet offseason; Brewers: The division got tougher, but so are they; Cardinals: Positioned to snap three-year playoff drought; Reds: A strong offense got even stronger; Pirates: A tough year to be average.