Cincinnati at San Diego

The San Diego Padres were a positive surprise last year. The lineup can be pitched to, but what they have is a lot of pitching, and it helps them stay in just about every game. Matt Latos helped define that with a stellar 2.92 ERA in 2010. He also has an edge here pitching at home vs. a Reds team that did not see him all of last year. Edinson Valquez has good stuff, but seems to have trouble with location, surrendering 6 runs to a soft-hitting Astros team in his 2011 debut. The Reds are not so great on the road as a dog as they have been 3-9 going back to the end of last year. The Padres have been at their best vs. the NL Central at 32-15 in their last 47. The Reds have been a big part of that, having gone just 1-6 in their last seven here. Play on San Diego.