The 29-year-old outfielder has launched home runs in five consecutive games and has homered seven times in his last 10 contests.
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But it wasn t Jay Bruce s shot into the right field arcade – his fourth of the three-game series at AT&T Park – that wholly undermined Madison Bumgarner s effort Wednesday afternoon. Trade rumors have been bubbling around Bruce’s name of late, with ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reporting that the Reds have been pushing dialogues with interested parties as they look to throw in the towel on the 2016 season. “It’s unfortunate but we just have to keep coming out and battle them”.
The Reds tied it with an unearned run in the fifth inning – the first that Bumgarner allowed at home in 20 innings dating back to a start on June 25 against the Phillies.
“He’s an ace in every sense of the word”.
Jay Bruce went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday’s win over the Giants.
DeSclafani (6-0) pitched in and out of trouble and gave up two home runs but continued his strong run since missing the first two months of the season with a strained left oblique.
Bruce put the Reds ahead in the seventh, silencing the crowd while hitting the first pitch of the inning into the arcade. “You just try to get back on track as quick as possible”. “It’s a tough one”, he said. 125 with runners in scoring position, as the Giants did on their last road trip? In the grander, more staggering picture, it was the 24th home run allowed by the Giants in 11 games.
“It’s out of the norm”, Posey said of the home run numbers.
“We’re on the younger side, some of us, but we’ve got a lot of guys who have been through some adversity”, Bumgarner said.
Straily (6-6) gave up three hits in 7 2/3 innings. “It’s no different than any other game, but when it happens on a day like today it makes it a little more special”. Ken Giles and Luke Gregerson pitched a scoreless inning each before Will Harris got his 11th save by striking out two in the ninth.
The Giants finally got a victory Tuesday night and will need another one, as this second half slump can’t last much longer.
Bochy’s referendum on the state of his offense came in the eighth inning when, in a rare circumstance, a starting pitcher hit for himself while the Giants trailed by a run with four outs to go. “I didn’t talk to him (to ask) whether he lost it in the sun”.
Pagan singled leading off the ninth but was forced out at second when shortstop Zack Cozart robbed Mac Williamson with a nice grab on a ball hit up the middle. After a review, it was ruled that the fan didn’t reach over the wall to catch the ball with a glove, even though right fielder Jarrett Parker complained that he did. “We would have had first and third there, but their shortstop made a great play on the ball”.
Joey Votto had two of the Reds’ six hits.
Brandon Belt was 0 for 2 with a walk, snapping his 11-game hitting streak against the Reds.
The Reds’ eight home runs was the most the Giants have ever allowed in a three-game series at AT&T Park.
Giants: 3B Ramiro Pena left with a bruised groin after taking a bad hop on pinch-hitter Ivan De Jesus’ grounder in the seventh.
An inning later, the Giants regained the lead when Span singled off the leg of DeSclafani and Angel Pagan jumped on the first pitch and drove it into the right field pavilion for his sixth homer.
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The loss trimmed the Giants’ lead to 2 1/2 games in the NL West, their slimmest advantage since May 18.
