Giants looking for spark amid early-season power outage

CINCINNATI -- Great American Ball Park is viewed as one of the most hitter-friendly stadiums in the Majors, but its cozy dimensions didn’t do much to stir the Giants’ slumbering offense on Tuesday night.

Willy Adames launched his team-high third home run of the year, but San Francisco couldn’t add on in a 2-1 loss to the Reds that dropped the club a season-high-matching five games (6-11) below .500.

All three runs came via the long ball, as Spencer Steer and Sal Stewart mashed solo shots off Giants left-hander Robbie Ray to help Cincinnati take the first game of a three-game series between the two lowest-scoring offenses in the National League.

Daniel Susac nearly breathed life into the Giants when he pinch-hit for Patrick Bailey with two outs in the top of the ninth. He hammered a ball deep to left field, but his 101.4 mph drive ended up being caught at the warning track for the final out of the game.

San Francisco now ranks last in the Majors in runs scored (52), home runs (nine) and walks (34) through its first 17 games of the year. The lack of power has been particularly surprising, as the club’s lineup features several hitters with 30-homer potential, including Adames, Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers and Heliot Ramos.

Adames (.869 OPS) and Chapman (.718 OPS) have been two of the Giants’ steadiest bats thus far, but Devers (.586 OPS) and Ramos (.508 OPS) have both endured prolonged slumps to start the year.

“Obviously, we have a ton of guys that have power in this team,” Adames said. “I know it's going to come. Obviously, it doesn't feel great when we're not hitting, and we're not winning games, but I have a lot of confidence in this group of guys that we have here. I know it’s going to turn around.”

Here are three other takeaways from the Giants’ series-opening loss:

1. Ray’s day

Ray held the Reds to only two hits over five innings, but both ended up leaving the yard. Steer drove a hanging slider out to left-center field to open the scoring in the bottom of the third, and Stewart went deep on a 94.7 mph fastball above the zone to extend Cincinnati’s lead to 2-0 in the fourth.

“They made me work,” said Ray, who struck out six and walked four in the 94-pitch outing. “A lot of foul balls, a lot of deep counts. But overall, I felt pretty good. I felt like I kept us in the game. Two solo shots. We just weren’t able to pull it out.”

While he couldn’t get as deep into the game as he would have liked, Ray has continued to be the Giants’ most consistent starter through the first three weeks of the regular season. He has a 2.42 ERA with 24 strikeouts across 22 1/3 innings, though the Giants have gone only 2-2 over his four outings.

2. Arraez returns

After missing one game with a right wrist contusion, second baseman Luis Arraez returned to the Giants’ starting lineup on Tuesday and proceeded to go 3-for-4 to raise his batting average to .333 with a .781 OPS on the season. The 29-year-old also continued to impress on defense, making a diving catch to rob Ke’Bryan Hayes in the fifth and then starting an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play one batter later.

“He’s been great,” Ray said. “He made two really good plays there at the end. The diving catch and then the double play. He’s been working really hard. I know that him and [infield coach Ron Washington] have been getting out there and working hard together. It definitely shows that he wants to be out there, and he takes it seriously.”

3. Bader sits

Harrison Bader was projected to be the Giants’ everyday center fielder after signing a two-year, $20.5 million deal over the offseason, but the 31-year-old veteran has been out of the lineup for two straight games amid his own ice cold start to the season. Bader is batting .115 with a .337 OPS -- the lowest mark in the Majors among qualified hitters -- which prompted the Giants to sit him in favor of reserves like Jared Oliva and Jerar Encarnacion.

Manager Tony Vitello said Bader is still dealing with the hamstring issue that set him back toward the end of Spring Training, which could explain why he’s struggled to settle into an offensive rhythm early this season.

“I think a little bit is fighting that,” Vitello said. “Fighting the rhythm of Spring Training, and fighting a little bit of literally having his legs underneath him. I think that's obviously the foundation or what's attached to the ground. It's your strength. When it's not strong or not 100%, it can affect things.”