SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants announced a crowd of 32,285 at Oracle Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. A shockingly high percentage of them stayed to watch the entire game against the Cincinnati Reds, and they should all be rewarded with multiple tickets to future games.
Anthony DeSclafani was charged with seven runs in the third inning, all with two outs, and the day didn't get any better from there. The Giants played more sloppy defense and had another quiet day at the plate, losing 10-3.
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They finished 2-4 against a Reds team that is on pace for 106 losses. The Reds have a winning record against the Giants but are 21-45 against the rest of MLB.
Would you like to know more? Here are three things to know from Sunday's game that saw the Giants fall to 39-33!
Nightmare Inning
The third inning was one of the worst in recent Giants memory.
The Reds sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on eight hits and a walk, and the nightmare only ended when old friend Aramis Garcia got caught trying to steal second with runners on the corners and two outs.
There was a lot of bad, although the Giants did have one tough break. They thought they were out of the inning when Joey Votto bounced one to Brandon Belt, but Gabe Morales (the man who called Wilmer Flores' check swing from first in Game 5 of the 2021 National League Division Series) said the ball was foul. Votto ended up hitting an RBI double and the line kept moving.
Another big blow was a self-inflicted wound. Matt Reynolds hit a high fly ball to center field that should have ended the inning but Austin Slater misjudged it and broke in initially. When the ball landed behind him, the Reds had another run, and they followed the misplay with four straight singles.
The seven runs matched the most the Giants have allowed in an inning this season. They also did it May 24 at home against the New York Mets. It was the first time since June 19, 2017 that they allowed seven runs in an inning after getting two outs.
San Francisco Giants
Nightmare Inning, Part II
DeSclafani didn't pitch well, but if Slater catches the two-out flyball he's headed back to the dugout trailing just 3-0 and gets to come out for the fourth. Instead, he was charged with seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings after the Reds continued to rally. DeSclafani struck out just one and allowed seven hits.
DeSclafani has now made five starts this season and failed to get through five innings in four of them. He has thrown 19 total innings and been charged with 21 earned runs on 35 hits. The 2.05 WHIP has to be particularly concerning to a front office that gave DeSclafani a three-year deal in the offseason.
The Yerminator
Yermin Mercedes arrived in the morning and ended up getting in his first game as a Giant. With the Giants trailing by nine, Mercedes entered for Brandon Belt at first base in the top of the seventh.
The debut was not memorable. Mercedes popped up in the seventh and struck out in the ninth. Mercedes played 68 games with the White Sox last season but this was his first big league appearance since June 30.
If you have read this far, thank you!