Farmer’s power, Aristides’ arm send Reds past Giants 3-2

CINCINNATI (AP) — Right fielder Aristides Aquino threw out pinch-runner Joey Bart at the plate to end the game, and the Cincinnati Reds held off the San Francisco Giants 3-2 on Saturday behind Kyle Farmer’s early three-run homer.

Cincinnati extended its winning streak to a season-high four despite playing down a man following the suspension of outfielder Tommy Pham.

The strong-armed Aquino saved this one, nailing Bart trying to score the tying run from second base on Wilmer Flores’ two-out single in the ninth inning.

“Being a former third base coach, you have to send him with two outs,” Cincinnati manager David Bell said. “That kind of hit, everything has to go right for the outfielder to field it cleanly and make not only a strong throw but an accurate throw. The catcher’s got to pick it. You have to go for it but we knew it was coming when he got a good hop.”

Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson did a backward somersault before plate umpire Adam Hamari could make sure he had the ball.

“It’s a tough call, but we and I completely support the decision,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “You have to make the outfielder make that throw. It’s hard to get two hits in a row, and there’s a chance it could be offline.”

The Giants had spent the previous eight innings choosing not to test the arms of Aquino and center fielder Nick Senzel, who kept Evan Longoria from scoring in the second.

Longoria decided against trying to score from second on Donovan Walton’s sharp single to Senzel, and then held on Curt Casali’s bases-loaded fly ball to Aquino in short right field. Mike Yastrzemski also held at second on Darin Ruf’s one-out fly to Aquino in the fifth.

“I wanted them to run on me,” Aquino said. “I had the opportunity and the confidence to make an out. It is always fun when you run hard to the ball and make an out. When I’m on the field, I always anticipate where the ball is going to be hit. If it is hit here, I do that.”

With Brandon Drury and Tyler Stephenson on base and two outs in the first, Farmer launched a shot into the left-center seats for his third home run in the last three games, extending his hitting streak to a Reds season-high eight games.

Farmer, who was 4 for 4 with two homers and five RBIs in Cincinnati’s 20-5 win over the Cubs on Thursday, has driven in eight runs while going 6 for 10 during the last three games since missing three with a sore back.

The at-bat was the first of his career in a regular-season game against Alex Wood, his former University of Georgia and Los Angeles Dodgers teammate and roommate. Woods described Farmer as his “best friend.” The two were traded together with Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig to the Reds before the 2019 season.

“I told him, ‘You can’t be getting hot right before I face you,'” Wood said with a smile after the game.

“Honestly, it was kind of surreal facing one of your best friends,” Farmer said. “I was more nervous before the game than I’ve been before. I just wanted to have fun with it. It felt weird, but it was so cool.”

Vladimir Gutierrez picked up his first win of the season in his eighth start. Gutierrez (1-6), who entered with the most losses of any major league pitcher without a win, had runners in scoring position in four of his five innings but allowed only one to cross the plate. He gave up six hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

Tony Santillan, Cincinnati’s fourth reliever, got pinch-hitter Thairo Estrada to ground out with two on to end the eighth. Santillan also pitched the ninth for his third save — and second straight that required four outs.

“Tony came in a tough spot to get the last four outs,” Bell said. “He deserved to get out of that. He was throwing the ball really well.”

Major League Baseball suspended Pham on Saturday for three games — retroactive to Friday — and fined him for slapping the Giants’ Joc Pederson during an altercation in the outfield before Friday’s game.

Pederson drove in the Giants’ first run with a double in the third. Evan Longoria made it a one-run game with a sixth-inning homer off reliever Luis Cessa.

Wood (3-4) settled down after the first, allowing only two more hits and four overall with one walk and six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings against his former team.

The Giants left 11 runners on base.

CLOSE CALL

Senzel and Aquino collided near the right-center wall while chasing down Tommy La Stella’s fly ball in the seventh. Aquino made the catch, and both players stayed in the game.

ANTHEM UPDATE

One day after Kapler declared he would not be on the field for the national anthem for the foreseeable future in a protest over the nation’s political direction following this week’s school shooting in Texas, no uniformed Giant was on the field for Saturday’s rendition.

CLOSE CALL

Senzel and Aquino collided near the right-center wall while chasing down Tommy La Stella’s fly ball in the seventh. Aquino made the catch, and both players stayed in the game.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: Casali was activated from the seven-day concussion list and C Michael Papierski was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. Casali singled leading off the ninth and was lifted for Bart, a fellow catcher.

Reds: OF Max Shrock (left calf strain) was sent to Triple-A Louisville on a rehab assignment. Shrock has been out all season. … LHP Mike Minor threw 79 pitches over six innings for Triple-A Louisville at Omaha on Friday in his fourth rehab start.

UP NEXT

Giants RHP Alex Cobb (3-2, 6.25 ERA) gave up 10 hits and six runs in six innings during his last start against the Mets on Monday. Reds RHP Tyler Mahle (2-5, 6.32) allowed nine hits and eight runs over four innings last time out Tuesday against the Cubs.

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