CINCINNATI — Rain forced suspension of Monday’s series-opener between the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds with the score tied at 2 and one out in the top of the eighth inning after a one-hour, 55-minute delay.
The game is scheduled to be resumed at 5:40 p.m. on Tuesday before the scheduled 7:10 p.m. game. The Giants, who’ve won five straight and six of seven, have runners on second and third.
San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler declined to reveal his pitching plan.
Reds manager David Bell, trying to inject life into an offense that had scored three runs during a four-game losing streak that cost them first place in the NL Central, slightly shook up his batting order. Electrifying rookie Elly De La Cruz, 0-for-12 since the All-Star Game, led off after batting cleanup over his first 33 starts and was 0-for-3. TJ Friedl dropped from leadoff to second while highly regarded prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand was promoted from Triple-A Louisville and started as the designated hitter.
“I think we (the starters) have been doing a decent job keeping us in games,” said Reds’ left-hander Brandon Williamson, one of four rookies in Bell’s starting lineup. “I think all our guys kind of attack. We all have good enough stuff that if we throw the ball over the plate usually good things happen. I don’t think it is a mindset if we get deep or not. We keep setting ourselves up. The result is we go deep into games.”
Giants’ starting pitcher Logan Webb enjoyed watching Encarnacion-Strand’s debut.
PHOTOS: Rain forces suspension of Giants-Reds with game tied at 2
“You could tell the crowd was excited,” Webb said. “I threw a ball out to give him some extra time. It was cool to see the crowd get excited.”
Austin Slater and Wilmer Flores reached Williamson for two solo home runs over six innings, his longest outing in his last seven starts since going 6 2/3 on June 2 against Milwaukee. Williamson allowed four hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
“I felt good,” Williamson said. “I was throwing pretty solid. I just left a few over the plate that were hard hit. Other than that it was a good outing.”
Webb gave up solo homers to Matt McLain and Jonathan India among four hits over seven innings. Webb struck out seven with no walks.
“This is one of the better hitters’ parks, but if you make pitches, you can pitch anywhere,” Webb said. “If you make pitches, you give yourself a chance. I made pitches – all but two.”
McLain gave Cincinnati a 1-0 lead with a 382-foot drive into the right field seats with two outs in the first inning – the Reds’ first run off Webb in 13 2/3 innings over four career starts.
Slater tied it with his 442-foot shot to center field on a Williamson cutter with two outs in the third inning. Flores gave San Francisco a 2-1 lead with387-foot homer to left field on a 2-2 slider in the sixth before India tied it in the seventh with a 371-foot opposite-field drive to right on Webb’s 0-1 sinker – the third of three hits for India, who went into the game batting .174 in his previous 24 games.
HEADS UP I
San Francisco’s Brett Wisely lost his bat while hitting a third-inning double play, sending it pinwheeling into the Reds dugout, where it disappeared into the opening to the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. Nobody was hurt.
HEADS UP II
The Reds also avoided injury in the fourth when right fielder Jake Fraley made a sliding catch of J.D. Davis’s short fly ball with second baseman India and first baseman Joey Votto converging. India had to skip out of Fraley’s way.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: RHP Luke Jackson (low back strain) was scheduled to another throwing session in Arizona on Monday. He’s been on the 15-day injured list since June 25. … SS Brandon Crawford got Monday off.
Reds: Encarnacion-Strand replaced on the roster INF Kevin Newman, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with gastritis, retroactive to Friday. … Bell was too ill to attend his daily pre-game media session, but he recovered well enough to manage the game.
UP NEXT
Giants RHP Anthony DeSclafani (4-8) is scheduled to be activated from the injured list in time to start on Tuesday against his former team. RHP Luke Weaver (2-2) is due to start for Cincinnati. DeSclafani (right shoulder fatigue) has been on the IL since July 3.
