Reds 9, Giants 0
Johnny Cueto threw a three-hitter for his second-career shutout, Joey Votto homered and drove in four runs and the Cincinnati Reds completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 9-0 victory on Sunday.
Cueto struck out six and walked one en route to his second complete game of the season. The righthander lowered his ERA to a minuscule 1.72.
The Reds’ offense provided more than enough support along the way.
Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips each had RBI singles off Barry Zito (3-4) in a three-run first inning. That propelled the underachieving Reds to their first sweep of the Giants in nearly three years and their longest winning streak since they swept the Los Angeles Dodgers from June 13-15.
San Francisco has lost three straight for the first time since July 3-6.
Votto’s three-run homer off Guillermo Mota in the eighth put the game out of reach. He has four homers in the last six games.
Former Red Orlando Cabrera, who was acquired from Cleveland on Saturday, went 0-for-3 in his debut the Giants. Cabrera was acquired to fill in for the injured Miguel Tejada.