The day after their remarkable eight-run comeback to topple the Reds in extra innings, the Giants had a difficult time getting their offense going again. Defense, however, didn’t seem to be as much of a problem, at least not for center fielder Kevin Pillar.
With the Reds up 5-1 in the bottom of the third, Cincinnati rookie Nick Senzel stepped up to bat against Dereck Rodríguez in hopes of extending the club’s four-run lead. He worked a 3-2 count off Rodríguez, then returned a 91-m.p.h. fastball out to the deepest part of center field -- where it was promptly denied entrance after Pillar scaled the fence to make the catch:
Unfortunately for the Giants, Pillar’s incredible antics weren’t enough to keep the Reds at bay forever. Tucker Barnhart and Derek Dietrich returned with solo home runs in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, while Senzel later redeemed his previous fly out with his first career home run, this time taking care to steer it well past his previous target.
The Reds currently lead the Giants 8-2 in the seventh.
