The Cincinnati Reds Matt Reynolds swings for an RBI double part of a seven run rally in the top of the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Jun 26, 2022 (AP News photo)
Cincinnati (25-47). 10. 15. 1
San Francisco (39-33). 3. 5. 1
Sunday, June 26, 2022
By Lewis Rubman
SAN FRANCISCO–David Bell’s crew sent Tyler Mahle (2-6,4.57) to the mound for today’s set-to with the San Francisco Giants, while Gabe Kapler & Co. elected to start Anthony DeSclafani (0-1,7.71) as his counterpart. If you just looked at those figures, you’d expect this afternoon’s set-to between the two teams to be a slugfest and it was but a one sided slugfest as the Cincinnati Reds won it in a laugher at Oracle Park in San Francisco 10-2 on Sunday.
You’d be only half right. Although DeSclafani had a horrid afternoon, Mahle acquitted himself handsomely over 6-2/3 innings of pretty decent work. He was charged with three runs, one of which was inherited, all earned, on four hits, one a homer, and a walk, while striking out seven. He threw 97 pitches, of which 30 were balls.
He took the win, his third of the season against six losses, home and lowered his ERA to 4.53. Before a pitch was thrown in anger, the Giants announced a move that many people had been expecting for a while.
They placed Brandon Crawford on the 10 day injured list, effective yesterday, with an inflamed left knee. To fill his place on the roster, San Francisco recalled the versatile Yermín Mercedes, who can catch, play in the infield, and serve as a designated hitter.
San Francisco suffered The Curse of the Leadoff Double in the home second. Joc Pederson bounced a two bagger against the Visa advertisement on the right center field fence and moved to third on Evan Longoria’s fly to deep left.
With the infield drawn in and shifted, Belt took a 1-2 pitch for a third strike. Home plate umpire Néstor Ceja’s call on that pitch raised some eyebrows. With the infield back to normal depth, Darin Ruf went down swinging.
Cininnati didn’t waste its opportunity to draw first blood in the top of the third. Nick Senzel led off by beating Longoria’s poor throw to first for a single to third. Aramis García sacrificed him over to second. After Mas Schrock fanned, Brandon Drury showed us why right centerfield at Oracle is called Triples Alley.
Tommy Pham then made some more enemies in the Bay Area by driving Drury in with a single to center. Drury scored moments later on Joey Votto’s two bagger to right. After Donovan Solano walked, Matt whacked a fly to deep center that kept drifting back until it bounced over the fence for an automatic double.
Alberto Almora, Jr., drove the last nail into DeSciafani’s coffin with a sharp single to left that plated Solano and Reynolds. The Giants’ starter had lasted 2-2/3 innings and given up a half a dozen runs plus the inherited runner he left and who came in on the single Yúnior Marte gave up to Nick Senzel.
All of those runs were earned. DeSciafani also yielded seven hits and a walk, striking out two. His pitch count was 53, 34 of them strikes. He would get tagged with the loss, leaving him 0-2, 9.95. In all, Cincinnati sent 11 men to the plate in their seven run outburst.
Mike Yastrzemski got one of those runs back with. lead off home run in the fourth. His 373 foot drive over the 354 foot sign between the Toyota and Game Up boards in left field was his eighth round tripper of ’22 and came on a 92 mph splitter.
Southpaw Jarlín García, replacing Marte, retired Votto to open the fifth. Then he almost got his head knocked off when Solano lined a single up the middle.
A walk to Reynolds, followed by Almora’s ground out, catcher to first, put runners on second and third with two out. Then everything fell apart for San Francisco’s third pitcher of the afternoon. Senzel grounded to Belt, whose errant throw to García arrived late.
The play was ruled a single and an error on the throw. Both runners scored, one on the hit and the other on the error, making it three for the inning and ten for the game. García did better in the sixth, allowing only an infield single before a strikeout and a double play ended it
After García’s unfortunate intervention, Camilo Doval shut Cincy out in the seventh, as did Dominic Leone in the following frame and John Brebbia in the ninth, ending that inning with a called third strike on Reynolds that led to manager Bell’s ejection by umpire Ceja.
San Francisco put two runs on the board and chased Mahle from the box in the seventh with a one out single by Donovan Walton, pinch hitting for Pederson, and a walk to Longoria. After Belt popped out to second, Ruf singled to left, scoring Walton and allowing Longoria to reach third.
Pham’s throw home from left was wild, which allowed Ruf to advance to second. At this point, Luis Cessa replaced Mahle for the Reds. Estrada beat out a grounder to third, bringing in Longoria and reducing the visitors’ lead to 10-3.
Reiver Sanmartín held the Giants scoreless in the eighth. Art Warren retired San Francisco 1,2,3 in the ninth to end the Giants’ dismal performance on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The struggling home team will have a day off on Monday before facing Tarik Skubal (5-5,3.63) and the Detroit Tigers at 6:45. Carlos Rodón is scheduled to start for the Giants.
