Giants vs. Reds: Aubrey Huff Comes Up Big In 4-2 Win, Pablo Sandoval Activated

The San Francisco Giants salvaged their four-game set against the Cincinnati Reds with a 4-2 win in the finale to get a split. Nate Schierholtz and Aubrey Huff drove in the winning runs in the seventh inning after a very shaky start from Jonathan Sanchez. Huff had three hits and an RBI on the day, which is just what the Giants need right now: big time support from ... well, from anybody not presently injured. If it's Huff, that's great. If it's Shierholtz making use of the playing time he wants, that's great as well. Cody Ross also had an RBI on the day.

Sanchez pitched six innings of two-run ball with five walks and five strikeouts, and also with five hits. He gave way to Ramon Ramirez, who pitches a scoreless seventh for the win, and after a short two-strikeout stint from Javier Lopez and a one-out showing from Sergio Romo, Brian Wilson got the save in the ninth inning with a hit and a strikeout. Sanchez was shaky, as has been the case lately. He was walking batters at the worst times and having trouble getting himself out of jams.

Edinson Volquez was given the no-decision, pitching six innings of his own with five hits, two earned runs, three walks and five strikeouts. There was a moment where Edinson was on first base and and took off for second after a double ... but he stopped at second, drawing the ire of his teammates, and the inning stalled there. He clearly could have made it to third, but he didn't go for it and the inning came to an end with no runs and a very upset Joey Votto.

Jose Arredondo was given the loss after giving up the two runs in the seventh inning. The Giants will now head out on a six-game road trip, starting with a three-game set in Arizona against the rival Diamondbacks, who sit a game behind San Francisco in the NL West.

According to Jaymee Sire's (of Comcast SportsNet) Twitter account, Pablo Sandoval has been activated and will make the trip with the team to help against the rival Diamondbacks. Pablo has a .371 career average at Chase Field, so his return should be a big boost for the team. Sandoval should slot into his normal position, but manager Bruce Bochy has noted that he could spell Huff at first base at times. At any rate, with this injury-stricken team, this can only mean good things on the stat sheet. His presence in the lineup should give everyone else around him confidence, as well.

Conor Gillaspie has been sent down to make room.

Giants vs. Reds MLB Schedule Preview: Jonathan Sanchez Looks To Salvage Series

The San Francisco Giants are looking for a series split when they take on the Cincinnati Reds in the final game of a four-game set down 2-1. Tim Lincecum was shelled for seven runs in about four innings of work in game three, and while the panic button has yet to be pressed, many are wondering if it's because of the injury to Buster Posey. Whatever it is, San Francisco can't have their ace losing those kinds of games and expect to maintain their lead in the NL West over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Jonathan Sanchez will take the mound to try and salvage the series with a split.  Sanchez is 4-4 in 13 stars with a 3.51 earned run average, and was handed a loss in his last outing, giving up two runs in five innings to the Washington Nationals. He's 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA against the Reds, and was beaten up in his last outing against them, giving up five runs in four innings last August ... the Giants did end up winning that game 16-5, however. Sanchez has looked like a different pitcher every time he's seen the mound this season, he'll need to be on point for this game.

Then again, even if he's on point, he may not get the win, like Madison Bumgarner in his start this series. The Giants offense hasn't been able to keep up at this point, failing to consistently hit. Miguel Tejada had his seven-game hitting streak broken on Saturday, and Freddy Sanchez went down with a shoulder injury on Friday. Infielder Bill Hall didn't help things at all on Saturday, not that anybody expected him to, he went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.

Cincinnati will send Edinson Volquez to the mound, fresh off a win in his last outing (following two wins at Triple-A Louisville). Volquez pitched seven innings of one-run ball against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, getting the win in a Reds 8-2 beatdown. Counting the starts before his stint in the minors, Volquez is 4-2 in eleven starts with a 5.75 ERA. The Giants can get runs off of him if they're playing their best, but ... who knows if they will do that?

San Francisco Giants Debate: Tim Lincecum Struggling With Buster Posey Out?

Giants vs. Reds, MLB Scores: Tim Lincecum Equals Career Worst Earned Runs In 10-2 Giants Loss

The San Francisco Giants continued to alternate wins and losses as they were roughed up by the Cincinnati Reds 10-2 on Saturday afternoon. The regional Fox game of the week saw Tim Lincecum equal his career high with seven earned runs allowed. Although he’s had shorter outings, Lincecum struggled all game long finishing with a career low one strikeout.

Things started out alright for Lincecum as he struck out Drew Stubbs to start the game and got a 1-2-3 first inning. However, his struggles began in the second as a wild pitch eventually led to a Fred Lewis run scored. The Reds added two more in the third inning and then sent Lincecum to the showers in the fifth inning with a four run inning.

It’s interesting to note that in four starts since Buster Posey went on the DL, Lincecum has a 7.66 ERA having given up 19 earned runs in 22 2/3 innings. He also threw 133 pitches in the last Posey outing so I’d imagine some folks might point to the high pitch total. It’s notable given that he rarely gets into the 130s, but I doubt it’s the reason for his recent struggles. Losing his primary catcher seems to be a more logical explanation. Of course, now he needs to figure out how to adjust to having a new regular catcher since Posey likely won’t be back in 2011.

The Giants wrap up their series with the Reds on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. First pitch will be at 5:05pm pacific with a matchup of Jonathan Sanchez and Edinson Volquez

Giants vs. Reds MLB Schedule Preview: Just Stop Getting Injured

Another day, another walk-off victory for the San Francisco Giants. You know, no big deal at this point. Just Nate Schierholtz being awesome, pretty run-of-the-mill these days. Also run-of-the-mill is the fact that the team has suffered yet another big injury, this one coming in the form of second baseman Freddy Sanchez. Sanchez injured his shoulder in game two against the Cincinnati Reds and will definitely miss some time. Add him to the list that also includes names like Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey and Brandon Belt, and it's a wonder how the Giants still remain in first place of the NL West.

Walk-off victories with something not entirely unlike regularity sure do help.

As it stands, they're two games up on the Arizona Diamondbacks, and are looking to ensure at least a series split against the Reds today with a victory. Tim Lincecum will be taking the mound for the Giants this afternoon, which means, rather affectionately for Giants fans, it's Timmy Day. In his last outing, Lincecum reached 1,000 career strikeouts and drew all kinds of praise from the crowd, but he didn't have a great outing overall. He lasted just five innings, giving up five hits and four runs with three walks while fanning five. The Giants did go on to win that game against the Washington Nationals, however. Lincecum is 5-4 with a 2.85 earned run average in thirteen starts this year.

He'll be up against Mike Leake of the Reds. Leake is 5-2 with a 4.63 ERA in twelve games (nine starts). He's coming off a good outing against the Chicago Cubs, pitching eight solid innings, giving up ten hits and two runs while walking one and striking out three. The Reds won that game 8-2, so he had plenty of room to work with at that point. They haven't been doing that against the Giants, and against Lincecum, it should be even harder.

Still, the best thing the Giants can do is go out there and show that they will pass this test of will once again, that they can mount some kind of offense after Sanchez went down with an injury in game two. They continue to pull off strong victories, and they continue to celebrate them somewhat akin to a cymbal crash, an initial boom of excitement, with a hand quickly going to steady the vibrations as they deal with the injuries suffered.

So all in all ... hope for no more injuries. 

Giants, Buster Posey, Freddy Sanchez and Frank Vitchard of Anchorman ... I'm Ron Burgundy?

Giants vs. Reds, MLB Scores: Nate Schierholtz Walks Off in Ninth for 3-2 Giants Win

The San Francisco Giants were fresh off a salty loss from the Cincinnati Reds Thursday night, and were looking for a little redemption. And in true Giants fashion they did as Nate Schierholtz came through with the game winning hit, a bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth, to earn the Giants a 3-2 walk off win at AT&T Park Friday night.

Ryan Vogelsong pitched well again in front of the sell-out San Francisco crowd, lasting for six full innings while giving up two runs on eight hits with three walks and six punch outs. But it was the bearded savior, Brian Wilson, who got the win this evening after his inning of work in the top of the ninth, bringing his record to 5-1 on the year. Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Romo filled in during the seventh and eighth showing absolutely dominating stuff. They combined for five strikeouts in their two perfect innings.

Cody Ross began the Giants off right offensively with an RBI single in the first, but the Reds grabbed the lead back with Ryan Hanningan RBI single in the fourth, and a Chris Heisley RBI ground out in the fifth. Then it was magic time as Schierholtz came to the plate, slapping his two out RBI single into left field for the Giants ninth walk off win of the season.

Unfortunately the Giants may have lost their starting second baseman to injury as Freddy Sanchez dislocated his shoulder diving for a Brandon Phillips blooper in the fifth. He will undergo an MRI on Saturday to determine the severity of the injury. 

Full box score can be found here.

The Giants will send out Tim Lincecum (5-4 2.85 ERA) on Saturday to take on Mike Leake (5-2 4.63 ERA) for the Reds, with first pitch scheduled at 1:10 p.m. PT. Coverage can be found on the FOX Network and KNBR 680 AM.

For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.

Pablo Sandoval Back to Catcher? Bruce Bochy Says Maybe

San Francisco Giants Injury Update: Freddy Sanchez, Apparent Right Shoulder

Another day, another injury to a big contributor to the World Series champions of yesteryear. Such is the life for fans of the 2011 San Francisco Giants. Oh well, those rings are still shiny, right?

Freddy Sanchez dove to stop a hit by Brandon Phillips in the top of the fourth inning. He dived too far apparently, as he landed awkwardly on his shoulder and immediately went down in pain. Although nothing has been confirmed yet, he was mouthing 'shoulder' when he left the field and several astute Giants fans watching at home picked it up. So it could be something like a dislocation/separation.

Brandon Crawford came in to play shortstop, and Emmanuel Burriss moved over to play second. This is probably the spark the Giants needed to get going on offense. Expect a ten run explosion anytime now. 

Follow the game in live action at McCovey Chronicles. SB Nation Bay Area will have updates on the injury when we know the extent of the issue.

Giants vs. Reds Starting Lineups: Aaron Rowand In, Andres Torres Out

Well, the Giants ended up with a loss in game one against the Reds, so the addition of Nate Schierholtz into the lineup didn't provide the kind of spark they needed to get things done. Well, things are shuffled once again as Burriss is the leadoff man and playing shortstop, while Aaron Rowand is back in center field. The catcher position continues to be a revolving door as Chris Stewart will be catching for the Giants. This lineup is almost completely different from game one.

Pitching for the Giants is Ryan Vogelsong, who has been great lately, with a 4-1 record since replacing Barry Zito in the lineup. Vogelsong is also pretty good at hitting, which should bode well for him and the Giants. The Reds will be sending Travis Wood to the mound to get back on track after his loss in his most recent outing.

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Manny Burriss SS
2. Miguel Tejada 3B
3. Freddy Sanchez 2B
4. Cody Ross RF
5. Pat Burrell LF
6. Aubrey Huff 1B
7. Aaron Rowand CF
8. Chris Stewart C
9. Ryan Vogelsong P

Cincinnati Reds Lineup:

1. Drew Stubbs CF
2. Brandon Phillips 2B 
3. Joey Votto 1B
4. Jay Bruce RF
5. Scott Rolen 3B
6. Chris Heisey LF
7. Ryan Hanigan C
8. Paul Janish SS
9. Travis Wood P

Giants vs. Reds MLB Schedule Preview: In Ryan Vogelsong We Trust

So, that didn't work out at all. The best laid plans by the San Francisco Giants were axed as they were blanked in a 3-0 shutout by the Cincinnati Reds. The best laid plans were, of course, the plan of having Madison Bumgarner pitch an excellent game and pick up his third win with marginal run support. Well that didn't happen at all, in regards to the run support. Bumgarner was handed the loss while playing well, and moves to something like 2-849389 on the season in thirteen starts.

Now, they'll move on to their pitching juggernaut of the season: Ryan Vogelsong. Yeah, isn't that a weird thing to read still? Of course it is, because it's not entirely true, in that he's not a juggernaut by any means, but he has been really really good. After replacing Barry Zito in the lineup, Vogelsong has went 4-1 with a 1.68 earned run average in ten games (eight starts), and an impressive 0.69 ERA in his last six games.

So you know, nothing special or anything like that.

Vogelsong picked up the win in his last outing, allowing one run to the Colorado Rockies over eight innings. He doesn't have the most impressive stats against the Reds in the past, but this is Vogelsong 2.0, so the 6.15 ERA in eleven meetings with the team is suspect at best in regards to relevance. Bumgarner wasn't impressive against the Reds in his only other outing, and he pitched a great game one.

Travis Wood is taking the mound for the Reds, coming off an extremely bad game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last outing. He walked five and gave up eight runs in just under five innings of work. He's 4-4 on the season with a 5.72 ERA, but before that outing he had been pretty good, so it's a toss-up in that regard.

The game is set for 7:15 p.m. tonight and will be on CSN Bay Area.

Madison Bumgarner Not Winning While Winning

Ah, the good old pitcher's win-loss stat, the most reviled in all of baseball. It's a number that means absolutely nothing to anyone, since team pitching is entirely independent of team hitting. Yet here stands Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants, a prisoner of circumstance to the cruelest of fates: Loss after loss after loss.

Bumgarner is now 2-8 on the season despite boasting a 3.42 ERA. Worst of all, in seven of those eight losses, the Giants haven't managed more than a single run to support him. Nice one team.

Here are some of his most excruciating losses so far this season.

• April 27: 6 innings, 5 hits scattered, 1 earned run. Giants lose to Pirates 2-0. 
• May 2: The very next start, MadBum ups his totals to 7 innings, gives up 4 hits and 2 runs. Giants lose to Nationals 2-0.
• June 4: 7 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs given up but only 1 earned. Giants lose to Rockies 2-1. SUCKS FOR YOU!
  
• June 9: 7 innings, 8 hits, 1 earned run. Giants lose to Reds 3-0. What nerve.

Giants vs. Reds, MLB Scores: Giants Blanked By Reds 3-0 in Series Opener

It was another pitcher’s duel at AT&T Thursday night as Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants squared off with the Cincinnati Reds. The offense was once again hard to come by for Bummy, who pitched very well; just not as well as Johnny Cueto, who along with his battery mates shut out the Giants by a score of 3-0.

Bumgarner (L 2-8) suffered another hard luck loss after pitching seven solid innings, allowing only one run on eight hits, with no walks and seven strikeouts. His counterpart this evening, Johnny Cueto (W 3-2), was extremely effective in his seven innings, allowing only four hits while fanning eight Giants. Nick Masset and Francisco Cordero kept the G-Men silent in eighth and ninth, with Cordero earning his 12th save of the season.

The Giants offense really struggled tonight, going 0-7 with runners in scoring position and only one extra base hit, a double by Miguel Tejada, who finished 2-4 on the night and the only Giant with more than one hit.

A Johnny Gomes single in the fourth plated Scott Rolen to get the Reds on the board, but they didn’t score again until the eighth after a passed ball from Eli Whiteside scored Joey Votto. The Reds added another in the ninth off a Brandon Philips RBI single.

Former San Francisco Giant and current Cincinnati Red Edgar Renteria received his World Series ring before the game to a great ovation at AT&T. Great to see him back, the fans will certainly always have love for that man. 

With the loss the Giants move to 35-28 on the year.Full box score can be found here.

Friday will see Ryan Vogelsong (4-1 1.68 ERA) take the mound for the Giants to take on Travis Wood (4-4 5.72 ERA) for the Reds. Coverage will start at 7:15 p.m. PT on NBC Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.

For more on the San Francisco Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.

VIDEO: Brian Wilson Talks Booty Shorts, Brandon Crawford at Victoria Secret

Giants vs. Reds Starting Lineups: Nate Schierholtz Back In And All Is Well

A lot of folks were pretty unsure as to why exactly Aaron Rowand was in the lineup in game three and Nate Schierholtz was not. Or rather, they probably just wondered why exactly Rowand was there in lieu of anybody, but that might be a little bit unfair. It seems that bit has been corrected today, and the absence of Schierholtz didn't hurt the Giants too badly, seeing as how Matt Cain got himself a complete game and the Giants got themselves a series victory over the Nationals. So yeah, worked out pretty well. Beyond that, there's no real surprises for San Francisco when it comes to the lineup.

Madison Bumgarner is taking the mound for the Giants, looking for his first win against the Reds and his third win of the season. Johnny Cueto is pitching for the Reds, and he too is looking for his first win against the Giants ... and also his third win of the season. Alright then.

Your San Francisco Giants:

1. Andres Torres CF
2. Miguel Tejada 3B
3. Freddy Sanchez 2B
4. Aubrey Huff 1B
5. Nate Schierholtz RF
6. Cody Ross LF
7. Brandon Crawford SS
8. Eli Whiteside C
9. Madison Bumgarner P

Cincinnati Reds Lineup:

1. Drew Stubbs CF
2. Brandon Phillips 2B
3. Joey Votto 1B
4. Jay Bruce RF
5. Scott Rolen 3B
6. Jonny Gomes LF
7. Edgar Renteria SS
8. Ramon Hernandez C
9. Johnny Cueto P

Giants vs. Reds Preview: Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto Looking For First Wins Against Opponents

Madison Bumgarner has been really good lately. That is to say, Bumbarner has thrown the ball well at the catcher and had batters not hit it a lot. Hope that wasn't broken down too much for you, but the point is, wins are not coming from said outings. It seems as though Matt Cain contacted some shady voodoo company and placed upon MadBum the curse of zero run support in the case of solid pitching. Bumgarner is just 2-7 on the season with a 3.42 earned run average in twelve starts. 

Well that sucks, considering that ERA isn't really reflecting that kind of win-to-loss ratio. When you look at his last eight games, that point is emphasized: he's posted a 2.01 ERA in those starts. Well that sucks even more. Bumgarner did get a loss his last time out, allowing just two runs against the Colorado Rockies, only one of them earned. It was his first loss in four starts, and his third loss at home this season. He still hasn't won at AT&T Park this season, he'll need to get it together.

He's up against Johnny Cueto for the Cincinnati Reds, and as to whether or not that's good, it's open to interpretation. Cueto is only 2-2 on the season in six starts, which isn't bad at all, but his two wins came in his first two starts and he's had two losses and two no decisions since then. His last outing was seven innings of two-run ball with five hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a no-decision. 

Cueto has faced the Giants only once, getting a no-decision after six innings of work, giving up four runs and ten hits. Bumgarner fared significantly worse against the Reds in his first and only outing, giving up eight runs (seven earned) over just 2 2/3 innings. He gave up three home runs in the meeting.

Giants vs. Reds Series Preview: Giants Host Dangerous Reds for Four Games at AT&T

After the San Francisco Giants earned a hard fought series win against the Washington Nationals Wednesday at AT&T, the last series of their current homestand is on deck against the ever dangerous Cincinnati Reds begining Thursday. The Reds are NL Central champions in 2010, sporting the reigning NL MVP at first base, and have a great rotation to boot. Cincy is always a difficult team to beat, but the Giants seem to thrive on playing dominant teams, and they usually can bolster some success from it. 

The Reds came to AT&T last year for a three game series as  the Giants proceeded to outscore them 38-19 over the series, averaging a whoping 12.6 runs per game behind 17.6 hits per game. If the Giants can show any semblance of the offense the Reds faced at AT&T last season, I think they'll be in good shape. 

After this series the Giants will have their first off day in almost a month on Monday before heading to Arizona for a three game set. 

For more discussion and analysis of everything Black and Orange, head on over to McCovey Chronicles to get your fix.