Cincinnati Reds back over .500 after out of Giants

By the time the Cincinnati Reds finished blasting the San Francisco Giants to start Star Wars Weekend at Great American Ball Park, Cinco de Mayo had almost become Seis de Mayo.

The Reds, wearing Los Rojos jerseys, scored at least one run in the first six innings and added another run in the eighth on their way to a 13-3 victory in the series opener Friday. The game started at 8:30 p.m., 1 hour and 50 minutes later than scheduled, because of rain.

The Reds had 16 hits and left 15 runners on base. Giants pitchers walked 12 batters. Giants starter Matt Cain’s ERA jumped from 2.30 to 4.70. He gave up seven earned runs in first five starts and nine earned runs in 3 1/3 innings in this game.

Photos: Cincinnati Reds vs. San Francisco Giants (May 5) https://t.co/fzIaRL0uM3
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) May 6, 2017

“I think everybody in the regular lineup was on base at least twice,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “We laid off some pitches early in the game from Cain and made him work, and I think that was really the difference. Guys were taking what he was giving them and extended some at-bats and drew some walks and came up with some big hits, scoring each inning and tacking on, which was great.”

The Reds (15-14) moved above .500 for the first time since they were 10-9 on April 23. They are tied for second place with the Milwaukee Brewers (15-14), one game behind the Chicago Cubs (16-13) in the National League Central Division.

The Reds are three wins better than they were last season through 29 games and nine games closer to first place. They improved to 4-1 on this nine-game homestand that continues with games Saturday and Sunday against the Giants and a two-game series Monday and Tuesday against the New York Yankees.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Updates on former Reds

The Reds scored three runs in the first, two in the second, one in the third, three in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth.

Jose Peraza drove in three runs with a triple and had one more RBI. He was 3-for-4, raising his average to .265.

PHOTOS: Reds vs. Giants

Billy Hamilton went 3-for-4 with a triple, drove in two runs, scored four runs and walked twice. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the first Red since the RBI became a statistic in 1920 to produce three hits, one triple, two RBIs, two walks, four runs and two stolen bases.

Bronson Arroyo (3-2, 6.53) allowed three earned runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Reds have won the last four games he has started. His arm felt as good as he has all season.

“It was normal today for the first time all year,” Arroyo said. “It felt better. I got 95 pitches, and I wasn’t really tired. I could have continued out there today, and that hasn’t been the case. I’m hopeful we can build on this for sure.”