Adam Duvall hits pair of homers against former club, but Giants top Reds 9-7

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Adam Duvall saw his professional career grow as a member of the San Francisco Giants, as you well know.  That means he's probably beaming at least a bit at the moment after launching a pair of dingers against his former club on Tuesday night, even if it came in yet another Cincinnati Reds loss.  Duvall's 24th and 25th dingers of the season helped try to salvage the game for the Reds, and while it ultimately ended up just a bit short, it was still plenty worthy of tonight's JNMHSotG.

Congrats, Adam, and here's to hoping you can stick it to them again in Wednesday's rubber match.

Honorable Mentions are due to:  Joey Votto, who dingered, walked, poked a sac fly, and scored twice as part of a 2 for 3 evening; Jay Bruce, who dingered in his fourth consecutive game; Billy Hamilton, who went 2 for 4 with a double, walk, a ribbie, and a pair of stolen bases; and Michael Lorenzen, who tossed a scoreless, mostly painless inning in relief.

Key Plays

• San Francisco dropped a 4-spot in the Bottom of the 2nd to open the scoring, and a bit of bad luck coupled with a freak Matt Cain 3-run dinger - yes, that Matt Cain - were the culprits.  After Brandon Crawford reached on a single to open the inning, a fly ball to LF by Brandon Belt was dropped by Duvall, and that cracked a door the Giants would then kick open.  A dribbler to the left side then followed off the bat of Ramiro Pena, Zack Cozart fielded it on a dive and the throw to nail the runner at 3B was initially ruled as the inning's 2nd out; however, replay showed Eugenio Suarez couldn't get the tag on the runner in time, which left runners at the corners after Crawford scored.  Cain then blasted said 3-run dinger after Cody Reed conceivably should've been out of the inning, because of course.  Reds trailed, 4-0.
• Another replay review and eventual overturn cost the Reds a run in the Bottom of the 3rd, as a would-be 4-3 double play to end the inning turned out to be just a 4-3 putout when slo-mo showed Brandon Phillips didn't actually tag the runner at 2B as initially ruled.  I suppose it's worth mentioning that the bases were packed thanks to three more singles off Reed in the first place, and it was Crawford who scooted across home to tack on another run.  Reds trailed, 5-0.
• Votto is a hot dang amazing baller of base, and he put that on display in the Top of the 4th when he took a high and away meatball by Cain and turned it around for an opposite field solo dinger to get the Reds on the board.  Still, the Reds trailed, 5-1.
• The Reds and Giants then traded runs in the 5th inning, with an RBI single by Hamilton plating Suarez in the top half and a Grant Green sac fly bringing in Buster Posey in the bottom half.  Reds trailed, 6-2.
• Duvall then exacted a bit of revenge against his former team in the Top of the 6th, as he belted a laser of a dinger that just cleared the wall in LF to chase Cain from the game.  Fortunately for the Reds, Votto had reached base in front of Duvall, of course, so the 2-run shot left the Reds down just 6-4.
• Blake Wood was probably due for a blow-up.  It had been awhile for the righty who has been pretty damn successful overall as a bargain bin reliever pickup this past offseason.  Unfortunately, that came in the Bottom of the 7th, as Wood allowed four hits - a triple and three singles - along with a walk, and when the damage was done, the Reds trailed 9-4.
• Fortunately for the Reds, however, Sergio Romo was probably due for a bit of a blow-up, too.  He took the mound for the Giants in the Top of the 8th, and Bruce and Duvall proceeded to blast back to back solo dingers to shave the deficit to 9-6.
• The Reds added another run in the Top of the 9th on Votto's sac fly (that scored Hamilton), but that wrapped the scoring.  Reds lost, 9-7

Tony Graphanino

Source: FanGraphs

Other Notes

• It's unofficially official:  Homer Bailey will start for the Reds on Sunday (assuming, as The Enquirer's Zach Buchanan relayed, everything goes well between now and then).
• Giants OF Angel Pagan got tossed in the the Bottom of the 8th after arguing with home plate umpire Joe West about a called strike three that was about a foot off the outside of the plate.
• Speaking of which, three plays were replayed at the behest of managers in this one, and Joe West's umpiring crew was deemed to have been incorrect on each of the calls.  Huh.
• Dan Straily will be on the mound on Wednesday when the Reds and Giants tangle in the series finale. He'll be opposed by Madison Bumgarner, with first pitch set for 3:45 PM ET.
• San Francisco Tunes.