Cincinnati Reds Stuart Fairchild’s slide gets ahead of the San Francisco Giants catcher Jackson Reetz’s tag for an inside the park home run in the top of the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri May 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

Cincinnati (17-21). 101 100 001. 4. 9. 0

San Francisco (17-23). 110 000 000. 2 7. 1

Time: 2:30

Attendance: 32,867

Friday, May 10, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–The slumping San Francisco Giants fell to the slumping Cincinnati Reds, 4-2, tonight in an exciting contest that featured the 13th inside the park home run on the banks of McCovey Cove.

The Giants that took the field against the Rhinelanders was not the San Francisco Giants we’ve been used to seeing this still young season. Slick fielding shortstop Nick Ahmed was put on the 10 day injured list and replaced by Casey Schmitt, who was recalled from the River Cats and started at short.

This followed Jackson Reetz’s promotion to cover for the injuries to catchers Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy. Blake Sabol also had been recalled from Sacramento since the Giants left on their disastrous 3-7 road trip.

And Jung Hoo Lee is day to day as. he recovers from the foul ball that he slammed into his own foot the day before yesterday. More roster moves may yet be coming; Michael Conforto pinch hit for Austin Slater in the bottom of the second after the starting center fielder showed signs of a possible concussion.

Logan Webb was coming off two rough starts including last Saturday’s game when he was under the weather. He had a rocky start tonight but settled down to hold the visitors to three runs, one of which was unearned over seven frames on eight hits and two walks.

He threw an even 100 pitches, 36 of which were balls. He with his fourth loss against three wins, although his ERA dropped to 3.38. Erik Miller pitched the eighth and was the victim of the first inside the Oracle Park home run since Bryce Harper pulled off the feat last August 16. Tyler Rogers was the third and final San Francisco hurler of the night. Hey set the Reds down in order in the ninth.

Andrew Abbott, Cincy’s promising 24 year old lefty, who was their second round draft pick in 2021 came to work at 1-4, 3.82 performed credibly over the five innings he pitched. He gave up two runs, both earned, on six hits, one for the distance, and a walk, throwing 88 pitches, 54 for strikes, and earning the win, which left him 2-4, 3.36 for the year.

Emilio Pagán relieved him and pitched a perfect sixth before being relieved, in turn, by Justin Wilson in the seventh. Wilson pitched to one batter before being relieved by Lucas Sims. We haven’t as yet received an explanation for this substitution, which, under MLB’s speed ’em up rules, wouldn’t have been allowed except in case of an injury. Alexis Díaz earned his seventh save by shutting the hosts down in the ninth.

Cincinnati got a leg up with a Rickey run in the first. Elly de la Cuz hit a one out single to left. Webb almost picked him off. In fact, first base umpire Larry Vanoveer called him out, but the video review crew in New York thought otherwise, and the ruling was reversed. De la Cruz swiped his 24th base of the year, against four failures, on the very next pitch. He scored on Spencer Steer’s two out two bagger.

San Francisco wiped out that advantage soon enough. With one out in the bottom of the first, Thairo Estrada hit his sixth home run of the year. It travelled 377 feet into the left field bleachers and came on an 82 mph sweeper. An inning later, San Francisco took the lead by defeating The curse of the Leadoff Double. Ramos supplied the double and Tyler Fitzgerald, the RBI Texas League single.

But the Giants couldn’t contain the daring do of De La Cruz. He dumped a single into center field in the top of the third and instantly took off for second when Michael Conforto fumbled the ball. The speedster promptly pilfered third and scored on Steer’s Texas League single.

The Reds pulled into the lead in the fourth on a single by Will Benson and TJ Firedl’s two bagger to left center. De la Cruz didn’t do any damage on the base paths because he struck out to end the inning.

It was speed, but from a different source, that stretched the Red legs’ lead to 4–2 in the eighth. Erik Miller, pitching in relief of Webb, had just picked Steer off first for the second out of the frame. Manager David Bell sent Stuart Fairchild to the plate to bat for Jake Fraley.

Fairchild larruped a high line drive to deep left center, 388 feet from the plate. It hit the wall, and Fairchild hit the road and didn’t stop running until he slid across the plate with an inside the park home run upping Cincinnati’s lead to 4-2.

Post game notes: San Francisco Giants VP of Communications Maria Jacinto received the Alexis T Busch Award which is presented to a woman Giants employee who best exemplifies the spirit and courage of Alexis and her love for the game of baseball. Maria is one of the most deserving honorees of this award as we at Sports Radio Service can attest to her hard work, dedication, knowledge, and most important her humanities of deserving this award. Congratulations Maria.

The Giants will try to work their way back to contention at 4:15 Saturday, afternoon. Mason Black, another new face will take his 0-1, 10,38 record to the mound, opposed by Cincy’s Nick Lodoto (3-1, 2.79) a 4:15pm PDT.