San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman (left) is greeted at the plate by LeMonte Wade Jr (31) after hitting a bottom of the first inning grand slam home run against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat May 11, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, May 11, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Cincinnati Reds 1 (17-22)

San Francisco Giants 5 (18-23)

Win: Taylor Rogers (1-1)

Loss: Nick Lodolo (2-3)

Time: 2:35

Attendance: 37,321

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants bounced back in a big way today, as a grand slam by Matt Chapman and a solid start from Mason Black carried the Giants to a 5-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds in a late-afternoon affair at Oracle Park.

The Reds beat the Giants last night 4-2 to snap their eight-game losing streak, and as has been the case a lot of the time so far this season, the Giants were in need of a bounceback win. The Giants needed a stopper, and that responsibility would fall on Mason Black, who was sent to the mound to make his second-career big league start.

Black pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first inning. For the Reds, they turned to their left-hander, Nick Lodolo, who got Thairo Estrada to fly out to right field to start the bottom of the first.

LaMonte Wade and Patrick Bailey, the latter who was activated off the 7-Day Concussion Injured List prior to the game, each lined base-hits with one out to put runners at first and second with one out for Wilmer Flores. Flores struck out swinging, and that brought up Heliot Ramos, who has been swinging the bat well since his call up from Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday.

Ramos walked to load the bases, and Matt Chapman stepped up and hit a grand slam to left-center to give the Giants an early 4-0 lead. It was a much-needed swing of the bat for both Chapman and the Giants, as Chapman has struggled at the plate in the early going this season, and the Giants have really been lacking the big hit.

“For me, a good swing like that is something I can build off [of],” said Chapman. “I think I’ve been a little bit off balance, or a little bit in between, so to be able to get a swing off like that feels good, and then you just work on trying to repeat that.”

“The grand slam in the first inning [was] a big deal,” said Manager Bob Melvin. “Especially against a really good pitcher.”

Black would have had another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the second, but Jake Fraley reached on a one-out bloop single that shortstop Casey Schmitt lost in the sun, as is often a risk in these 4:15 p.m. starts. Other than that, Black got through the inning unscathed, and Lodolo pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the second.

“Sun and wind at 4…..there wasn’t a ball that went up in the air today where both sides [didn’t hold their] breath a bit,” said Melvin.

“It was a little rough,” added Chapman. “Those 4:00 games, it doesn’t matter where you play, they’re always a little bit tough. Whether it’s the shadows, or the sun kinda setting right in the outfield, those balls are definitely tough for everybody.”

Will Benson hit a base-hit to right to start the top of the third and decided to challenge the arm of right-fielder Heliot Ramos, but Ramos threw a strike to second to nail Benson. The Reds challenged the call by Second Base Umpire Nate Tomlinson, but the call was upheld, and the Reds lost their challenge. Black retired the next two men he faced for a quiet top of the third, and Lodolo pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the third.

Elly De La Cruz hit a home run to left-center—almost to the exact same spot where Chapman hit his grand slam—to start the top of the fourth, and put the Reds on the board. Spencer Strider was hit by a pitch with one out, and then Jake Fraley lined a base-hit to right to move Strider to third, but Ramos threw another strike from right to nail Fraley at second. Tyler Stephenson then grounded out to short to end the inning.

“I was just trying to get the job done,” said Ramos. “I’m just trying to help the team. I’m trying to do my best. I’ve been trying since 2022, when I made my debut, and I feel like I’m in a good spot. I just want to keep playing hard and make the best of this opportunity.”

“[I] definitely have to take [Ramos] out for a nice dinner after that,” said Black. “It was huge having him out there.

“[Black] better give me a steak,” added Ramos.”

The shadows then made their way across home plate, which made the hitting conditions incredibly difficult. However, that did not deter the Giants in the bottom of the fourth. Ramos grounded out to third to start the inning, though he nearly beat out the throw from third-baseman Jeimer Candelario.

Chapman was called out at first on another close play on a throw by Candelario, but the Giants challenged the call by First Base Umpire David Rackley, and the call was overturned. Michael Conforto then lined a base-hit the other way to left, but he had to leave the game with a strained right hamstring.

The Giants had an opportunity to add on, and after Chapman’s grand slam in the first, it would have been easy to believe that the Giants would keep the RBI hits going. Sadly, that would not be the case, as Casey Schmitt popped out to first, and Tyler Fitzgerald grounded out to third to end the inning.

Black walked Candelario to start the top of the fifth, he walked Jonathan India with one out, Black was done. Black only went four and a third innings, which means he would not get the win, but the Giants got exactly what they needed from him.

“He got some big outs when he needed to,” said Melvin. “Too bad he couldn’t get the win…..but he pitched well.”

“[It was] a lot better [than my last start], just because of the win,” added Black. “That’s all that matters.”

Black was also helped out by a sliding catch by Ramos, who had moved over to left, for the first out of the top of the fifth.

“Obviously the big diving play, too, in the outfield saved me,” said Black. “So it’s awesome having guys like that who can make plays.”

What made Ramos’ catch rather unique was the presence of a pelican in left-center field during the top of the fifth inning. The pelican even got a big round of applause by the fans at Oracle Park when it was shown on the scoreboard.

“I turn[ed] around, and I saw standing out there, and I was like, ‘Casey’s playing deep,’” Black joked. “I didn’t know what the protocol was, ‘are we gonna get that thing off the field, or just let it hang out?’ It was funny.”

Left-hander Taylor Rogers came in for Black and struck out TJ Friedl for the second out, but he hit De La Cruz to load the bases. Rogers then struck out Stuart Fairchild swinging to end the inning, as he got out of the inning with the Giants still up 4-1.

Lodolo pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fifth, and then Ryan Walker came in for the top of the sixth. Walker gave up a leadoff base-hit to Spencer Steer back to the mound, but he got Fraley to line out to Ramos, who was now in left, and he struck out Tyler Stephenson swinging.

Candelario then came up with two outs, an hit a single to right-center to Mike Yastrzemski, who was now playing right, and Yastrzemski made the third throw from a Giants’ right-fielder to nail a Reds’ base-runner trying to stretch a single into a double.

“[Defense was] really the key to the game,” said Melvin. “The [grand slam] was huge, but being able to make defensive plays all day long…..[against] a team [like the Reds] that gets on the bases—and that’s what they do: create havoc on the bases—to be able to get all those outs, especially at second base where there’s a runner in scoring position, the outfield defense was superb today.”

“Those can be momentum sparks, just as much as [the offense],” Melvin added.

Wilmer Flores reached on a throwing error by De La Cruz at short to start the bottom of the sixth, but Lodolo then struck out the side to end his afternoon on a positive note. Meanwhile, Erik Miller came in for the Giants in the seventh and worked through a walk and a hit batsman to escape the inning without any damage.

Brent Suter was the new pitcher for Cincinnati, and after striking out Casey Schmitt swinging for the first out of the bottom of the seventh, Suter gave up a single to Tyler Fitzgerald. Thairo Estrada singled Fitzgerald over to third, and Wade was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Patrick Bailey came up with the bases loaded and one out and hit a fly ball to deep right-center that center-fielder TJ Friedl caught at the warning track for a sacrifice fly to score Fitzgerland and extend the Giants’ lead to 5-1. Wade, who was at first, very boldly took second on the play. It was a close play, and had Wade been called out at second before Fitzgerald touched the plate, the run would not have counted.

The submariner, Tyler Rogers, came in for the top of the eighth and pitched a scoreless inning, and Buck Farmer pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth for Cincinnati. Sean Hjelle closed things out with a scoreless ninth, and the Giants won it 5-1.

“[This win] means a lot,” said Chapman. “We’re grinding a little bit and not playing our best baseball, so to be able to jump out early like that is huge, and I think that we can build off a game like today. We obviously have a lot of work to do, still, but it feels good for sure.”

Taylor Rogers, who came in for Mason Black in the fifth, ended up getting the win, and Nick Lodolo took the loss despite settling down after Matt Chapman’s grand slam in the bottom of the first.

The Giants improve to 18-23 with this much-needed win, and now they can take the series with a win tomorrow with Kyle Harrison on the mound. First pitch will be at 1:05 p.m.

News and Notes:

Patrick Bailey was activated off the Concussion IL, but Austin Slater was placed on it after jamming his head against the wall in an attempt to make a catch in center field in the first inning last night. Catcher Jackson Reez was optioned back to Triple-A Sacramento, and outfielder Brett Wisely was called up.”

Michael Conforto’s strained right hamstring will be evaluated when he gets to the ballpark tomorrow morning, but it does appear that he could be the latest Giant headed to the IL.

Today was Girl’s Day at Oracle Park, and prior to the game, Giants Senior Director of Broadcast Communications and Media Operations Maria Jacinto was honored with the 2024 Alexis T. Busch Award.

The Alexis T. Busch Award is named in honor of the late Alexis T. Busch, who became the first batgirl in Baseball History in 2000, and spent the 2000 and 2001 Seasons in that role for the Giants. Busch tragically lost her life in a sailing accident in 2012.

The award was presented by Former Giants Manager and now Special Adviser to Baseball Operations Dusty Baker, who was the Giants’ manager during Busch’s time as batgirl.

Several past recipients of the award, as well as many of the women employees of the Giants’ Organization were on the field for the ceremony.