SAN FRANCISCO — As the Giants returned home Thursday, so too did the familiar problems that have sunk them to last place in the NL West.
A lack of offense and a shaky bullpen cost San Francisco once again, as the Cincinnati Reds used an eighth inning leadoff triple to take the lead late and hold on for a 3-2 win, their fourth in a week over the Giants.
Ty Blach was on the mound to start for the Giants and turned in a quality start, allowing just two runs in seven innings pitched.
Once Blach exited the game, however, reliever Hunter Strickland entered and immediately dug himself a hole. He allowed a pinch-hit triple to lead off the inning to Scooter Gennett, and Zack Cozart later doubled him home for what turned out to be the game-winning run.
Brandon Belt got the scoring started with a shot over the center field wall in the bottom of the first inning. It was the first home run since April 21 for the struggling Belt, who entered Thursday’s game batting just .115 in the month of May.
Blach rolled through the Reds lineup the first time through the order and retired the first nine batters he faced. For the rest of the game, however, the top of the Reds order gave the young southpaw some trouble.
In the top of the fourth, Reds speedster and leadoff man Billy Hamilton hit a single before being doubled to third by Zack Cozart. An RBI groundout from Joey Votto knotted the score at 1-1, but Blach pitched his way out of the inning while allowing just the one run.
Hamilton would generate another run at the top of the lineup after a single in the top of the 6th inning. He moved over to second base on a groundout and Joey Votto singled him home. Hamilton batted 2-4 on Thursday and has now scored nine runs in just four games against the Giants this season.
In his first game back from a shoulder injury, Denard Span provided a sorely needed spark in the leadoff hole for the Giants. Span knocked a solo homer, his first of the year, in the fifth inning to give San Francisco a 2-1 lead. He added a double and two singles to finish the game 4-5.
Bronson Arroyo tossed six innings and allowed just two runs for the Reds. The Cincinnati bullpen followed up Arroyo’s efforts with three scoreless innings of their own to close out the game. The Giants put runners in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings, but were stifled on both occasions. Brandon Belt flew out to left field to end the game with runners on first and third.
The Reds and Giants will face off again tomorrow at 7:15 p.m. when Johnny Cueto (4-2, 4.50 ERA) matches up against Scott Feldman (2-3, 3.76 ERA).