Giants 3, Reds 1
CINCINNATI -- Jeff Samardzija allowed one run over eight innings and Buster Posey doubled three times and scored a run, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park.
Samardzija (4-1) gave up three hits with two walks and nine strikeouts over 115 pitches. Santiago Casilla earned his sixth save.
Adam Duvall, who was acquired from the Giants in the trade for Mike Leake, homered for Cincinnati (10-17) to tie the score in the fifth.
But, the Reds' bullpen allowed a run in 21 straight games to establish a new modern-day major league record. The 2013 Rockies bullpen gave up a run in 20 straight contests.
The record-breaking run scored when Hunter Pence walked and later raced home from third on Brandon Crawford's infield dribbler to put the Giants (15-13) ahead 2-1 in the eighth. Gregor Blanco followed with an RBI single to make it a two-run lead.
It could've been a bigger inning had Brandon Belt not been thrown out trying for a double for the second out.
Caleb Cotham (0-1) allowed two runs and three hits in an inning of work.
Posey went 3-for-4 with three doubles, a walk and a run for San Francisco. It was his second career three-double game.
Left-hander John Lamb made his season debut for the Reds in place of Jon Moscot who was scratched with shoulder discomfort. Lamb responded with six solid innings.
Although he felt fine physically, Lamb wasn't pleased with his three rehab starts which resulted in a 9.22 ERA.
It was more of the same early in Tuesday's game when he allowed back-to-back doubles by Posey and Pence to put the Giants up 1-0 in the first.
Lamb threw 22 pitches in the first inning, but only 13 in the second.
Samardzija didn't allow a hit until Brandon Phillips' single to center with two outs in the fourth. Through four innings, he had five strikeouts and had thrown 54 pitches.
Despite five doubles among their first six hits off Lamb, the Giants managed only a run.
San Francisco ran itself out of a scoring chance in the fifth when, with runners on first and second, Denard Span was caught stealing in a rundown between second and third for the final out.
Duvall, a former Giant, took a 1-2 pitch from Samardzija out to left-center to tie the score 1-1 in the fifth.
NOTES: Reds LHP John Lamb was recalled from Triple-A Louisville to start on Tuesday night in place of RHP Jon Moscot who has discomfort in his nonthrowing shoulder. Moscot could be available to pitch out of the bullpen within a day or two. ... Lamb is the ninth starting pitcher used by Cincinnati in the first 27 games, matching the franchise high last occurring in 1972. ... Cincinnati also optioned RHP Drew Hayes to Triple-A on Tuesday. ... Giants 2B Joe Panik, who is nursing a groin injury, hit in the cage Tuesday and took ground balls. He could return by Thursday. ... Giants LF Angel Pagan missed his second straight game with a mild hamstring strain.