Buster Posey Powers San Francisco Giants To 8-5 Win Over Reds
By Phil Watson
Tim Hudson became the first San Francisco Giants starter not named Ryan Vogelsong to allow a run this spring, as he was knocked around for four runs in 3.2 innings, but Buster Posey was 3-for-3 with a double and a three-run homer and the Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-5 on Tuesday at Goodyear Ballpark.
And Hudson swung a pretty mean stick, himself, going 2-for-2 with a double.
The Reds got two in the first against Hudson (1-0) on a two-run double by Todd Frazier and made it 3-0 in the second on an RBI double by Billy Hamilton.
San Francisco (8-5) struck back in the third. Hudson grounded a one-out single through the left side and Joaquin Arias lined a single up the middle with two outs. Posey followed with his first big fly of the spring off Reds starter Tony Cingrani (1-1) to tie the game at 3-3.
The Giants kept the heat on Cingrani in the fourth. Juan Perez led off with a double to left and Ehire Adrianza connected for his second Cactus League home run of the spring to left field to give San Francisco a 5-3 lead. Hudson followed with a ground-rule double to right field (let that sink in … pitcher … ground-rule double … ) and after Cingrani struck out Angel Pagan, Cincinnati (4-11) gave the ball to reliever Lee Hyde. Arias greeted him with a single to center and Posey lined a double to left to score Hudson.
Hudson surrendered a homer to Skip Schumaker in the bottom of the fourth and after issuing a walk was lifted. He allowed four runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts, raising his spring ERA to 4.15.
Cincinnati got a run back in the seventh off reliever Kameron Loe, who surrendered a leadoff triple to Roger Bernadina followed by an RBI single by Joey Votto.
The Giants added some insurance, though, in the eighth when Brandon Hicks lofted a ground-rule double to left and scored when third baseman Chris Nelson misplayed Gary Brown’s grounder.
Chris Dominguez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Roger Kieschnick walked to lead off the inning, went to third on Nick Noonan’s double and Andrew Susac walked to load the bases.
Jake Dunning survived three walks to work 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out one. Mitch Lively worked a 1-2-3 sixth, Erik Cordier pitched a scoreless eighth and Adam Reifer got his first save of the spring, allowing a hit and a walk while fanning a batter in the ninth.
Besides the big days from Posey and Hudson at the plate, Arias also had two hits as part of the Giants’ 13-hit attack.
San Francisco is home at Scottsdale Stadium on Wednesday to host the Chicago White Sox at 1:05 p.m. Pacific.