SF Giants: Three Key Takeaways From the Reds Series

The SF Giants completed the sweep against the Cincinnati Reds on the road with a convincing 19-4 victory. The sweep gives San Francisco a 28-16 overall record, which is currently the best record in baseball.

SF Giants: Three Key Takeaways From the Reds Series

1. Key Contributions from Darin Ruf and Steven Duggar

There were plenty of positives from this series, but the contributions from Darin Ruf and Steven Duggar stand out as a key observation.

Ruf’s role is to do damage against left-handed pitching, whereas Duggar’s role remains up in the air. However, Duggar continues to show growth at the plate in a limited sample.

His timing could not come at a better time as the Giants battle injuries in the field that has forced Mauricio Dubón to see more time at second base. On that same note, Austin Slater has produced mixed results in 2021, leaving the door open for someone like Duggar to earn more playing time.

The left-handed bat only saw one at-bat in each of the first three games, but he put together a tremendous performance in the final game of the series.

After grounding out in his first at-bat, he stepped into the batter’s box to face off against Michael Feliz. Duggar worked the count full, fouling a couple of pitches off in the process, and slammed the seventh pitch of the at-bat for a grand slam.

He added one more single later in the game and now has a .256/.319/.488 line across 43 a-bats. The 27-year-old has earned a few extra at-bats with his recent play.

Similarly, Darin Ruf capped off a strong series at the plate. He collected six hits in 17 at-bats, including a two-run blast and two doubles in the final game of the series. Furthermore, the right-handed bat coaxed three walks, so he was on base quite a bit.

Ruf fills an important platoon role for the Giants, and Duggar could as well if he continues to produce. This was a strong series for both players.

SF Giants: Three Key Takeaways From the Reds Series

2. Pitching, pitching, and more pitching

Before the game on Thursday, the Cincinnati Reds averaged 5.12 runs per game, which is a hair behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (5.14 runs per game) for the top spot in the National League.

The Giants starting pitching has been the story all year and they continued that trend in the hitter-friendly confines of the Great American Ballpark (GABP). Despite facing off against a potent offense at the GAPB, the pitching staff had no issues.

Giants pitching combined to yield just nine runs across four games, including a shutout in Wednesday’s 4-0 victory. The starting staff led the way:

• Logan Webb: 6 innings, 6 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts.
• Anthony DeSclafani: 7 innings, 6 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts.
• Kevin Gausman: 6 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts.
• Johnny Cueto: 5 innings, 5 hits, one run, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts.

It is tough to ignore the fact that three of the four starting pitchers previously pitched for the Reds. Gausman had a brief stint with Cincinnati in 2019, but DeSclafani (2015-2020) and Cueto (2008-2015) each pitched at least five years in a Reds uniform.

They seem to be off to greener pastures now. From the bunch above, it is tough to pick the best performance as all were good. In the case of Gausman and DeSclafani, they added another strong start to their respective all-star résumés.

However, it was not all good news from the SF Giants pitching staff. Logan Webb had to be removed from his start due to shoulder discomfort and he was eventually placed on the injured list. With that being said, the right-handed hurler is not expected to be out for an extended period of time.