The 52-78 Giants begin their home stand against the 62-69 Reds. This is one of the few remaining chances for our favorite team to get its first series sweep of the season, but don’t count your chickens. Here are the specifics,
• Monday, 6:45, RHP Chase Burns (14-2, 2.51) vs. Adrian Houser (4-7, 4.08)
• Tuesday, 6:45, RHP Brady Singer (5-11, 4.72) vs. Carson Whisenhunt (3-4, 7.03)
• Wednesday, 12:45, LHP Nick Lodolo (3-3, 5.04) vs. Landen Roupp (7-13, 4.34)
The Giants dropped the mid-April series in Cincinnati, 1-2. Looking past the Reds, the Giants will play their final series against the Snakes, 4 games, with a doubleheader on Saturday. That was arranged so the team would have Sunday to rest, at the end of 13 straight games, before going to Atlanta to resume a rain delayed game on Monday.
Terry Francona took on the Reds manager job last season. His current team is
🚩 1B Sal Stewart (98 !!! and 27 HR), 2B Matt McLain (35), SS Elly De La Cruz (58), 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (8)
🚩 RF Hector Rodriguez (3), CF Dane Myers (21), LF JJ Bleday (51)
🚩 C Tyler Stephenson (43), DH Eugenio Suarez (53)
🚩 bench C Jose Trevino, C Will Banfield, IF/OF Ivan Johnson, OF TJ Friedl
🚩 rotation Burns, Singer, Lodolo, Rhett Lowder (5-8, 5.13), Andrew Abbott (6-8, 4.07)
🚩 closer Emilio Pagan, set ups Tony Santillan and Luis Mey
One of the other Reds relievers is renowned former Giant Pierce Johnson. Those 98 RBI by Stewart lead all of the majors. SP Hunter Greene’s great fastball went on the IL earlier this month, joining Spencer Steer’s 40 RBI.
The Reds were not very active at the trading deadline, dealing 1B/DH Nathaniel Lowe and RP Caleb Ferguson. Stephenson, Singer, Suarez, Burke, and Johnson will all be free agents at the end of the season, but the Reds didn’t find the right deal for any of them.
Our Giants got swept in Boston – the usual suspects were in plain evidence, including defensive bobbles, inability to drive in extra runs, and bullpen collapses. The Picture of the Post department queried its extensive photography team, who all shrugged “dunno”. So, let’s look to the second game, which featured a really gutsy start by young Blade Tidwell. 5⅔ innings, 3 hits and 2 BB, no runs allowed. Tiddy really did deserve a W for that, but must settle for being the Picture. Honorable mention to Dylan Smith, who inherited a tough situation in the 8th inning, and got three outs without allowing a run, to hold the 2-0 lead. Picture honors are coming for Smith, maybe real soon.
