Peavy leads Giants past Reds with arm, bat
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jake Peavy limited the Reds to two runs in six-plus innings and helped himself in a big way at the plate, crushing a solo home run in the fourth, to help guide the San Francisco Giants to a 5-3 victory over Cincinnati on Wednesday night at AT&T Park.
Peavy kept Cincinnati hitters at bay through the fifth, but allowed a run in the sixth and seventh before being pulled. He gave up seven hits and one walk while tying a season high with eight strikeouts to earn his seventh win of the season. Peavy improved to 7-0 lifetime against the Reds.
"Great effort by Jake," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He threw the ball very well and, of course, helped us with the bat."
The Reds managed six extra-base hits off Giants pitching, but were unable to do significant damage and back starter Michael Lorenzen, who allowed a run in each of his three innings. Cincinnati loaded the bases in the eighth and ninth, but was unable to tie the score.
"Guys did a good job of picking each other up," Bochy said. "When [Mike] Broadway was struggling, [Hunter] Strickland saved us. He kept it to one run there, as far as them scoring, and [Santiago] Casilla found a way to get that last out."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Peavy goes yard: The Giants' starter joined Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Hudson and Mike Leake on San Francisco's list of pitchers who have hit a homer this season when he took Collin Balester deep for a solo shot. It was the ninth home run of the year hit by Giants pitchers and marked the first time since 1935 the franchise has had five hurlers homer in a season, tying a Major League record.
Video: CIN@SF: Peavy ropes a solo homer to left-center
"Chris Heston hated to see that home run more than anybody," Peavy said. "You all have to put the pressure on him now. He probably hits the most home runs of any pitcher in batting practice. We give him a hard time that he doesn't have one in a game. Now that I think almost all of us have made that happen, we have to get on him."
Double vision: Brandon Phillips had two doubles for Cincinnati, including one that got his team on the scoreboard in the sixth against Peavy. After Joey Votto extended his season-high streak of reaching safely to 35 games with a two-out double to center field, Phillips followed with an RBI double to left field to make it a 4-1 game.
Video: CIN@SF: Phillips rips RBI double down left-field line
Gearrin up: As the Reds chased Peavy from the game and continued to threaten the Giants' two-run lead, Bochy brought in rookie Cory Gearrin to face right-handers Adam Duvall and Jason Bourgeois. Gearrin promptly struck out Duvall and induced a weak ground ball from Bourgeois to help hold the score.
"Cory, he got a couple big outs there for us," Bochy said.
Short night for Lorenzen: Lasting only three innings, while throwing 54 pitches, Lorenzen has likely made his final start of the season. Combining the Majors and Triple-A, Lorenzen threw 151 2/3 innings in 2015 and his innings cap was 150-155 innings. However, manager Bryan Price expected Lorenzen to keep pitching out of the bullpen the rest of the season.
"We talked about it before about my innings. It's not a secret," said Lorenzen, who allowed three runs and six hits with one walk and one strikeout. "[Price] said I'd be on a shorter leash than normal and to just expect it. I felt all right. Pitches were going back over the middle of the plate. That's going to happen sometimes.
"I'm probably going to go into the bullpen now. My mindset is coming out of the bullpen. I haven't really thought about this being my last start this year. It's just bullpen time now."
QUOTABLE
"They had to make some pitches, and they did. They got a big double play ball that got things quieted down there in the eighth. When they brought in Strickland, he did a nice job in that situation. Then Casilla had to wiggle himself out of that situation in the ninth inning." -- Price on the Reds having the bases loaded in both the eighth and ninth innings. Only one run scored in the chances, on Ramon Cabrera's 5-4-3 double play that brought Votto home.
Video: CIN@SF: Casilla gets Phillips to secure the victory
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Peavy's homer was the third of his big league career and his first since July 26, 2006, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had 287 plate appearances between the two homers.
REDS CHALLENGE FINAL OUT CALL
In the top of the ninth inning as Jay Bruce struck out against Casilla, pinch-runner Billy Hamilton tried to steal second base. Hamilton appeared to beat Buster Posey's throw but was called out by umpire Paul Emmel for the potential game-ending third out. The Reds challenged the call and it was overturned upon review when it was shown that Hamilton's foot touched the base ahead of the tag. It gave Hamilton his Major League-leading 57 steal of the season, a career high, but it only prolonged the game slightly as it ended two batters later with the bases left loaded.
Video: CIN@SF: Hamilton gets in under the tag at second
WHAT'S NEXT
Reds: Following an off-day Thursday in Milwaukee, the Reds will open a three-game series at 8:10 p.m. ET Friday vs. the Brewers. Brandon Finnegan will get to make his first big league start in an opportunity to make an early impression for the rotation competition next season.
Giants: After an off-day Thursday, San Francisco welcomes the Arizona Diamondbacks to AT&T Park to start a three-game series beginning Friday at 7:15 p.m. PT. Bumgarner looks continue his dominance after nearly throwing a perfect game his last time out. The left-hander has not lost at AT&T Park since the D-backs beat him June 12.
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