Reds vs Giants Preview: Cincinnati Looks to Bounce Back After Recent Skid

The Reds look to bounce back after losing four of their last five games.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) is embraced by teammates in the dugout after scoring a homer in the ninth inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, April 12, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. Reds loss 9-6. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming off a frustrating week where the Cincinnati Reds split a series with the Miami Marlins, then lost two out of three games at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels, the Reds look ahead to a three-game set at home vs the San Francisco Giants.

With a day off and some roster shakeups, the Reds are looking to find a much-needed spark to their offense ahead of this series. The Giants aren't necessarily dominant so far this season. Sitting at 6-10 overall, but their team batting average is in the top-10 in the league at .243. Pitching has been the downfall so far this season for San Francisco, with the 19th overall team ERA at 4.28.

Let's look ahead to the starting pitching matchups in this series:

Tuesday: Brady Singer (0-1, 7.71 ERA) vs Robbie Ray (2-1, 2.08 ERA)

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brady Singer (51) pitches in the first inning between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, March 28, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

I'd love to say that the Singer's numbers so far this season aren't as bad as they look, but unfortunately, that isn't true. In two of Singer's three early starts this season have been disappointing, including lasting just 2.2 innings pitched vs Miami last Wednesday. To make it harder, a few Giants have had great success vs Singer in their careers. Matt Chapman is hitting .700 off of Singer in 10 at-bats, Rafael Devers has an OPS of 1.091 in 11 at-bats, and Luis Arraez has a .924 OPS in 19 at-bats. Simple to say that a few of these Giants have had his number.

Robbie Ray is off to an excellent start this season, not just with a low ERA but also with a WHIP of 0.98 in 17 innings pitched so far. The only Red with major success off of Ray is Eugenio Suarez, who has 2 Homers, six RBI, and a 1.311 career OPS vs Ray.

Wednesday: Rhett Lowder (1-1, 3.31 ERA) vs Tyler Mahle (0-2, 4.30 ERA)

Mar 29, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder (25) prepares to pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Lowder is coming off his first bad start in the majors last week in Miami, and looks to put it behind him versus a good Giants lineup. Only Willy Adames has faced Lowder so far, and is 0-2 in their battles.

As far as Tyler Mahle, the former Cincinnati Red, is on his third team since being traded from the Reds at the 2022 Trade Deadline. In his three starts so far, he has yet to get out of the sixth inning, including a 5-earned-run outing vs the New York Mets. Only two Reds have faced Mahle so far, with P.J. Higgins being 0-2, but Ke'Bryan Hayes has had great success vs Mahle. In 11 at-bats, Hayes is hitting .636 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, and a 1.667 OPS

Thursday: Chase Burns (1-1, 3.31 ERA) vs Landen Roupp (2-1, 3.24 ERA)

Apr 5, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns (26) celebrates after striking out the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Like Lowder, Burns is also looking to bounce back from his worst start so far this season after giving up five runs on Friday vs the Angels. If his one bad start last season vs. the Red Sox has told us anything about Burns, he's very good at putting his worst performances behind him. No Giants batter has faced Burns yet.

Roupp has faced the Reds one time in his young career so far, taking a 1-0 loss in April of 2025 in San Francisco. So far this season, Roupp has had two quality starts in his three starts, with the outlier being a 7-earned-run performance vs. the Mets.