Cueto homecoming doesn't follow script

"Brandons' big bats bomb .... Cincinnati"? Aw, crap! The elliteration was going so well, too.

Brandon Belt had three hits and scored twice, and Brandon Crawford's two hits included a three-run blast as the Giants rallied for a 9-6 win over the Reds.

Brandon's big bat .. wait, we already did that joke. (AP)

In his return to the Queen City, San Francisco's most consistent starting pitcher got lit. Johnny Cueto surrendered six runs in an unending third inning but escaped with a no decision thanks to a 14-hit attack.

Neither starting hurler distinguished himself but in a stunning reversal of fortunes, the team suffering from chronic bullpen struggles took advantage of a struggling bullpen. 

Ah, the foot's on the other hand now!

A five-run seventh inning, punctuated by Crawford's blast, helped turn a 6-3 deficit into the Giants' 14th win of the year.

This was one of those games that started out pleasant enough, turned to horror, then finished on a high note: kinda like your spouse letting you think you're going to see "Zootopia", mistakenly walking into "The Forrest", then finding out you really have tickets to "Captain America: Civil War."

Pick a side already,

Reds starter Brandon Finnegan (we're just lousy with Brandons tonight) stoked the flames with a walk and HBP ahead of a Kelby Tomlinson single to load the bags in the second and give Cueto a chance to really hack off his old fans. He obliged with single to right (via 1B Joey Votto) that scored a pair.

An RBI ground out made it 3-0, and that looked pretty good for a inning and a half. Then Votto launched a three-run homer as part of that putrid bottom of the third. The Reds got to Cueto for six hits, three of them for extra bases, then threw in two walks and a stolen base just for the insult value. 

Cincy sent 11 men to the plate in an interminable inning that left the faint of heart scurrying for better amusements like cockroaches when the lights come on (or so we've heard).

It wasn't panic time. The Reds have had their issues, and the learned fan had to be looking at the other bullpen thinking "If they can just get to those guys....."

And it happened, Finnegan was lifted for a hitter after six and JC Romero (yep, that guy) took over. He whiffed Matt Duffy, then gave up dour straight hits. 

Bad outing; still a win. (Cincinnati

Come on, sing along: Buster Posey singled. Hunter Pence doubled. Belt singled home Posey. Gregor Blanco single home Pence. Romero got to the showers before the hot water was gone.

Drew Hayes fared no better. Crawford greeted him with a three-run rope to center and the Giants led for good.

They'd add one in the ninth when the Brandons each singled behind a walk to Pence.

It wasn't the homecoming Cueto hoped for: six runs on seven hits and two walks, although he did strike out eight. But four relievers held the Reds scoreless the rest of the way. Even Santiago Casilla couldn't screw this one up.

The win puts the Giants alone in first place. Idle Los Angeles is half a game back while Colorado fell to a full game out with a 2-1 loss to San Diego

 

Jeff Samardzija (3-1, 3.86 ERA) finds the ball in his shoe for Tuesday, taking on Cincy's Jon Moscot (4.02 ERA). A win assures the Giants of no worse than a .500 road trip, and it would be nice to get it then rather than count on Jake Peavy on Wednesday.

Moscot or Mascot? Tune in; the answer could be fun.

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