Arias stays in lineup vs. Reds, playing second

CINCINNATI -- Joaquin Arias started back-to-back games Tuesday for the first time since April 19-20, reflecting Giants manager Bruce Bochy's satisfaction with the utility man.

Arias went 3-for-4 with three RBIs on Sunday at St. Louis while playing first base. Tuesday, he moved to second base, where he was San Francisco's Opening Day starter this year before Brandon Hicks earned the bulk of the activity.

"I wanted to reward him," Bochy said of Arias. "He hasn't been getting a lot of playing time."

Though the sample size was small, Arias probably was helped by his 2-for-3 career hitting against formidable Reds starter Homer Bailey.

Though Bochy didn't indicate that Hicks had lost his status as the Giants' primary second baseman, he did point out that Arias had the potential to "get on a roll." The prime example of this was August 2012, when Arias hit .417 with a 1.154 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) while mostly substituting at third base for an injured Pablo Sandoval.