The Reds hit four home runs including Christian Encarnacion-Strands first career and Joey Votto's 350th career but eight base on balls allowed the San Francisco Giants to walk away with an 11-10 win.
Encarnacion-Strand's first hit an home run was in a pinch hit appearance batting for Jake Fraley, who had already homered.
"Honestly when it happened. I was just happy," Encarnacion-Strand said. "Like I said in the early interviews, I just want to be a spark for the team. I want to help them win. I went in and took a couple swings in the cage. In all honestly, I try not to think. When I think I get in trouble. I just wanted to take a couple swings to be ready. That's a good feeling for sure (faith in him) I thought they were going to Senzel, honestly. When they called me, it caught me a little bit by surprise. Like I said when they call me I try not to think, just go up there and hit."
The Giants have won seven straight the Reds have lost six straight.
The Reds scored just five runs in the first five games of the losing streak but exploded against the Giants after a tough extra-inning loss of the suspended game to start the day.
"Our lineup is starting to get long especially with some of the switches made by the manager's about who is coming off the bench. Those stretches where you don't score runs," Votto said. "That's a Major League season. You do the best you can to be sharper in one aspect to keep the game closer. This stretch has happened quickly. It is amazing how stretches like this can come about. The opposite can happen. We anticipate that will come soon."
The Reds sent Luke Weaver to the mound to stop the losing streak.
In spite of Weaver's ERA rising from 5.45 to 7.00 the Reds have won each of his last eight starts.
Wilmer Flores, who had two doubles and a home run in the first game of the series, hit his 10th home run of the year.
Former Red Anthony DeSclafani, who was just returned from the Injured List before the game, gave up a single to Matt McLain and Jake Fraley's 13th home run of the season. Spencer Steer singled in the second inning and Will Benson hit his fifth home run to put the Reds up 4-1.
Weaver walked number eight hitter Brett Wisely to start the third. Casey Schmidt followed with a single. Weaver fanned Lamar Wade and Joc Pederson but Flores struck again with a three-run home run to left center to tie the game. Weaver was hit with a line drive from Michael Conforto. Weaver had to leave the game after he was drilled on his left arm. Alex Young struck out Mike Yastrzemski to send the game to the bottom of the third.
Sean Manaea took over for the Giants.
TJ Friedl bunted for a hit and moved to second on a ground out. Fraley was hit by a pitch. Both runners took off and Manaea had a play on Friedl but threw the ball away. Friedl scored and Fraley ended up on third. Jonathan India grounded to short. Fraley running on contact was thrown out at the plate. Joey Votto struck out but the Reds led 5-4.
Derek Law entered to start the fifth.
The Giants scored three runs with two outs. Luis Matos hit a one-out single. With two outs Flores walked. Conforto singled to tie the score. Yastrzemski doubled to clear the bases and the Giants took a 7-5 lead.
David Bell brought in Daniel Duarte, who got out of the inning.
Manaea went out to pitch for his third inning. Elly De la Cruz singled to open the fifth. McLain walked with one out. Bell sent Encarnacion-Strand to pinch hit for Fraley but Gabe Kapler brought right handed Mauricio Llovera to face Encarnacion-Strand. Llovera got ahead 0-2 but the rookie hit his first career home run 426 feet into the upper deck in left field to give the lead back to the Reds.
"I played with Christian and Elly and Matt McLain down there (at Louisville during rehab)," Votto said. "It doesn't surprise me. I've seen too many of them. Two strike home runs are really tough. It was a beautiful swing. These guys are getting better all the time. They really want to get better. They want to change the national perception of the Cincinnati Reds and they're doing it."
The Giants tied the game with the help of an error in the sixth. Wisely singled to open the inning. Schmidt struck out. Matos his a ground ball near second base the De la Cruz fielded. His flip to McLain was dropped. Buck Farmer walked Pederson to load the bases. Flores drove in his fifth run of the game with a sacrifice fly to right but Votto cut it off and threw Matos out at third to end the inning.
The Reds bullpen got wild in the seventh. Farmer walked Yastrzemski with one out. Davis struck out but Blake Sabol singled. Tony Santillan, who was brought up as the 27th man, he walked Wisely and Schmidt to force in a run. Matos singled to score to more.
McLain and Encarnacion-Strand greeted Jakob Junis with singles but Jonathan India hit into a double play. Votto hit his eighth home run of the season and 350th of his career to cut the Giants lead to one run. It was the Reds fourth home run of the game. Spencer Steer singled after he barely missed a home run that hooked foul.
Friedl made a leaping catch at the fence with two on and two out on a bid for an extra base hit by Patrick Bailey.
"It was a great game in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, we came up short," Bell said. "It was a tough day for us as a team."
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