Reds Maul Madison Bumgarner To Take Second Game From Giants

Two aces started on the mound Saturday at Great American Ball Park in the Reds' 7-1 win over the San Francisco Giants.

Bumgarner is a four-time All-Star and 2014 World Series Most Valuable Player.  Harvey was an All-Star in 2013 and former ace of the New York Mets.

http://www.wiedemannbeer.com/

Harvey allowed just two base runners in five innings.  Joe Panik reached on an error by Eugenio Suarez and Buster Posey walked.  Harvey committed a balk that put runners on second and third with one out but struck out Brandon Belt and retired Evan Longoria on a routine fly to center.

"I knew I had to execute pitches in the inning with runners at second and third," Harvey said.

Bumgarner missed 60 games with a broken finger on his left hand sustained in his final start in Scottsdale, Arizona on March 23.  He was hit on his pinky finger when Whit Merrifield hit a line drive past the mound.

In 11 of Bumgarner's 13 previous starts, he had allowed three or fewer runs.  In the other two he allowed four.  The Reds scored six (five earned) after one hit by Phillip Ervin in the first three innings.

Jose Peraza hit his seventh home run to lead off the fourth inning.  Scooter Gennett followed with a single.   Suarez struck out and Ervin flied out but Dilson Herrera walked.  Brandon Dixon hit a broken bat double down the right field line that scored two runs.

"Peraza is putting the barrel on the ball.  He got us on the board and had a big game, Jim Riggleman said. "Sometimes when you're playing a good team, you need a little luck.  Bumgarner was pitching good then we get a broken bat hit to get us a couple runs."


The Reds ambushed Bumgarner in the fifth.  Peraza hit a one-out double.  Gennett singled off Bumgarner's glove to put runners on first and third.  Suarez walked.  Ervin hit a sacrifice fly to score Peraza and when the throw from Steven Duggar in center field eluded Posey, Gennett raced home with the fifth run.

Herrera hit his third home run leading off the sixth.

Harvey got two outs in the top of the sixth.  Panik hit a ground ball to the hole at short and just beat Peraza's throw to break up the no-hitter.  Posey singled to send Panik to third.  Harvey got out of the inning when Brandon Belt flied out to center.

http://donatelifeohio.org/

The Giants hit two singles in the seventh with one out.  Reds' manager Jim Riggleman brought Cody Reed into the game.  Reed retired a pair of pinch hitters to preserve the shutout.

Harvey finished with 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and a walk. It was the third game Harvey pitched into the seventh inning, the second straight game he's done so.  For the time being the Reds are using a six-man rotation rather than the traditional five-man set up.

"Matt was really, really sharp.  He's going deep into games. He's going every six games that makes it tough to stay sharp.," Riggleman said.

"After a successful outing last time, it is big to have another.  I'm getting there.  Health is the biggest thing.  It is hard to stay sharp when you're used to going every fifth day.  You feel a little out of whack.  The guys are calling me the Saturday starter like in college," Harvey said.

Suarez moved into a tie for the National League lead in RBI with his 89th.  He followed Gennett's one-out double with a single to center off Hunter Strickland, who returned from a long stint on the disabled list.  Strickland missed 50 games with a fractured right hand.

Reed allowed two hits and a walk to open the eighth.  Riggleman waited for Austin Slater to be announced as a pinch hitter, then brought in Michael Lorenzen with the bases loaded and no outs.

Lorenzen struck out Slater.  Longoria hit into a force play at Andrew McCutchen scored from third. Brandon Crawford struck out, leaving two Giants' runners stranded.

Lorenzen closed out the game with a scoreless ninth.









.