San Francisco Giants starter Jordan Hicks works against the Cincinnati Reds in the bottom of the sixth inning at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on Sat Aug 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024

Great American Ballpark

Cincinnati, Ohio

San Francisco Giants 4 (55-57)

Cincinnati Reds 6 (53-57)

Win: Hunter Greene (8-4)

Loss: Kyle Harrison (6-5)

Save: Alexis Diaz (22)

Time: 2:14

Attendance: 32,602

By Stephen Ruderman

The San Francisco Giants stayed in their frustrating prison between one and six games under .500, as they once again failed to get back up to .500 after Kyle Harrison was hammered for six runs on four big flies in just three and two thirds innings by the Cincinnati Reds, who won this all-around weird, boring game 6-4.

After Blake Snell pitched the 18th no-hitter in franchise history Saturday night to improve the Giants’ record to 55-56, it seemed they would have their spark to get up to .500. They were going to need it, as they came into Saturday’s game 2-10 when they had been a game under .500.

Hunter Greene made the start for the Reds and struck out the side in a 1-2-3 top of the first inning. Harrison took the hill for the Giants following a solid start against the Rockies on July 25. It was a bit odd that it took him eight days to make his next start, but here he was Saturday night, and he pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the first.

The Giants wasted a rally for free against Greene in the top of the second, and Tyler Stephenson got the Reds their first run and hit of this series with a solo home run to right-center field with one out in the bottom of the second. Greene pitched a 1-2-3 top of the third, and India homered to left with two outs in the bottom of the third to make it 2-0.

Greene pitched another scoreless inning in the top of the fourth, and then things imploded for Harrison in the bottom of the fourth. Spencer Steer and Ty France both singled to put runners at first and second to start the inning. That brought up Stephenson, who hit a three-run home run to center, his second home run of the game, to open Cincinnati’s lead to 5-0.

Harrison struck out the next two men he faced, but Stuart Fairchild clubbed a low-hanging line -drive home run off the left field foul pole to make it 6-0. Harrison had given up six runs on four home runs in just three and two thirds innings, and he was done after just 73 pitches.

That comes with pitching at Great American Ballpark, which is the second-most live ballpark in all of Baseball next to Coors Field. It happened to Harrison, who just had to hang with it.

Hunter Greene pitched two more 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth to cap off a one-it, one walk and 11-strikeout performance. Greene certainly would have continued into the seventh had he not thrown 100 pitches.

Sean Hjelle, who finished the bottom of the fourth, threw a scoreless bottom of the fifth, and Jordan Hicks, now back in the bullpen, survived a two-out double in the bottom of the sixth.

Justin Wilson came in for Cincinnati in the top of the seventh, and that seemed to be what the Giants needed, as Matt Chapman doubled to lead off the inning. However, Reds’ center-fielder TJ Friedl bobbled the ball while trying to barehand the carom off the wall, which allowed Chapman to take third base, and shortstop Elly De La Cruz threw it into the Giants’ dugout. So a double and a pair of errors all on one play gave the Giants their first run.

The fact that an official scorekeeper was allowed to give out two errors on a play here in 2024, well I won’t get into that. Anyway, Michael Conforto followed that mess up with a solo home run the other way to left to make it 6-2.

Hicks pitched another scoreless inning in the bottom of the seventh for the Giants, and Tony Santillian retired the first two men he faced in the top of the eighth for Cincinnati. That brought up the Giants’ young slugger, Jerar Encarnacion, who hit a bomb the other way to right-center to make it 6-3.

The Giants had cut the deficit in half, and in the bandbox known as Great American Ballpark, they were right back in it. After left-hander Taylor Rogers pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth, Chapman led off the ninth with a home run to left-center off Reds’ closer Alexis Diaz to make it 6-4.

However, Diaz set down the next three, and the Reds won it 6-4.

Ten runs scored in this game. Nine of them came on seven home runs, six of them solo home runs; and the other came on a double and two errors all on one play. Just a boring but weird game all around.

Hunter Greene got the win; Kyle Harrison took the loss; and Alexis Diaz got the save.

The Giants fall to 55-57, and they remain stuck in this endless cycle between one and six games under .500. The good news is that they can’t get any more than six games under .500, as they are 6-0 when six games under .500. However, when it comes to being just one game under, the Giants are now 2-11 when they have a chance to get back up to .500.

Well, the Giants can still win the series with a win Sunday. Left-hander Robbie Ray (1-1, 4.82 ERA) will make his third start of the season for the Giants, and he will be opposed by right-hander Carson Spiers (4-2, 3.46 ERA) first pitch 9:05am PT.