Giants Outlast Reds 6-5 After Giving Up 4 Runs In The 1st
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Brandon Crawford delivered a tiebreaking, pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning to help the San Francisco Giants erase a four-run first-inning deficit and beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 Sunday.
Crawford's two-run shot lifted the Giants after Cincinnati homered on three straight pitches by starter Jeff Samardzija in the first.
Buster Posey hit a tying, three-run homer in the sixth and opened the ninth with a one-out double against Raisel Iglesias (1-5). Crawford followed with his second career pinch-hit homer deep into the right field seats, lifting the Giants to their third win in four games.
San Francisco overcame an eight-run deficit to beat Cincinnati 12-11 in 10 innings Friday night.
Tony Watson (1-0) pitched a perfect eighth to support this comeback. Will Smith worked around Kyle Farmer's first career pinch-hit homer with two outs to earn his ninth save in nine tries.
Eugenio Suarez, Jesse Winker and Derek Dietrich pounced on Samardzija to give the Reds a 4-0 first inning lead.
Suarez followed Joey Votto's leadoff bloop single to center with a drive that just cleared the fence down the right field line. Winker and Dietrich followed with first-pitch drives to right-center, Dietrich turning his entire body to stare into the Reds dugout as he danced up the first base line after his fourth home run in three games.
The home runs were each player's ninth of the season.
Samardzija regrouped and retired his last 13 batters. He allowed five hits and four runs with four strikeouts in five innings.
Luis Castillo, in his first start since being named the NL Pitcher of the Month, was dynamic through five innings, facing the minimum 15 batters and allowing no hits and one walk. The Giants reached him in the sixth for four runs.
Castillo gave up four hits and four runs with two walks. He tied his season high with nine strikeouts.
MAKING MR. RED PROUD
With the team wearing blue throwback jerseys from 1911, Dietrich drew on a fake mustache with eye black.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: LHP Derek Holland is expected to be activated from the injured list in time to start on Wednesday at Colorado. Holland has been sidelined since April 28 with a left index finger bone bruise.
UP NEXT
Giants: LHP Drew Pomeranz (1-3, 4.08) makes his first appearance against Cincinnati since 2016.
Reds: RHP Anthony DeSclafani (1-1, 3.48) has a 14 2-3 innings scoreless streak, four outs short of matching his career high.
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