Brady Singer might not recognize an opponent he dominated earlier in the season when he gets the ball for the visiting Cincinnati Reds against the new-look San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night.
Having lost several players to injuries and having dealt more than a handful of others at the trade deadline this month, the Giants reshuffled their lineup again Monday after they promoted five players from Triple-A Sacramento before a 5-0 win over the Reds.
The winning lineup had just two players in common with the one Singer (5-11, 4.72 ERA) defeated on April 14, throwing six innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 victory.
It was one of just three times this season that the right-hander has gone at least six innings while holding an opponent to one run or less.
Rafael Devers, one of the two players who remains in the Giants’ starting lineup four months later, contributed two hits — including a home run — two runs and three RBIs to Monday’s win as San Francisco stopped a four-game skid.
Devers’ homer was his 27th of the season.
Also playing a big part in the team’s 10-hit attack were Drew Gilbert with two hits and two runs, Christian Koss with a pair of singles, and Grant McCray with a triple.
McCray was one of the five players who earned promotions Monday on a day when the Giants put Willy Adames (left elbow sprain) and Victor Bericoto (bruised right knee) on the injured list, and Bryce Eldridge on the bereavement list.
Jason Foley was recovering from surgery to repair his injured right shoulder when the Giants visited Cincinnati in April. He applauded the efforts of his three new teammates — including Nate Furman and Shay Whitcomb — who were thrust into the action against Reds ace Chase Burns.
“They’re all playing for starting jobs for the rest of the year and next year,” Foley noted in a television interview after Monday’s game. “They’re hitting the ball hard. Hopefully, they can keep doing it down the stretch and we can play a pretty good September.”
Jung Hoo Lee, the only other holdover starter from the April meeting, had two of the Giants hits off Singer in that Reds’ victory.
Singer hasn’t been nearly as sharp lately, having gone winless in his last five starts while allowing 17 runs in 28 1/3 innings.
Reds manager Terry Francona noted recently to reporters that he’s not concerned about a guy who has gone at least six innings in seven of his last eight starts.
“Some guys, you just know they’re going to figure it out. That’s just who he is,” Francona said. “He takes an immense amount of pride in posting and being accountable. Those are good adjectives.”
Singer has gone 1-1 with a 5.64 ERA in four career starts against the Giants.
San Francisco will counter on Tuesday with fellow right-hander Adrian Houser (4-7, 4.08 ERA), who has regained a spot in the rotation.
Houser has allowed just two runs in 25 innings in his last six outings. That stretch has included two appearances in a bulk-innings-reliever role and a start on Aug. 12 against the Houston Astros in which he threw six innings of shutout ball in his team’s 2-1 loss.
Houser will face the Reds for the 18th time in his career, the 15th time a starter, having gone 5-4 with a 4.89 ERA.
–Field Level Media
