SAN FRANCISCO _ The San Francisco Giants overcame their usual bad start Saturday night but still wound up losing 5-4 to the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park.
The Reds jumped on starter Jeff Samardzija for three runs in the top of the first inning, with the Giants eventually forging 4-3 lead in the fourth. The Reds, however, scored once in the fifth and took the lead for good on a bloop single by Derek Dietrich in the seventh against losing pitcher Reyes Moronta (1-3).
Cincinnati (18-22) can sweep the series Sunday against the Giants, who fell to 16-23. Amir Garrett was the winning pitcher (2-1) in relief for the Reds, with Raisel Iglesias getting his eighth save in the ninth, striking out pinch-hitter Brandon Belt for the final out.
Evan Longoria homered in the first inning for the Giants, his sixth, while Yasiel Puig hit his sixth home run in the bottom of the first for the Reds and Eugenio Suarez hit his 12th home run in the fifth.
The Reds took the lead for good when Dietrich hit a bloop single to left that a sliding Mac Williamson couldn't come up with, scoring Suarez from third.
Suarez opened the inning with a double and eventually made his way to third on a passed ball by catcher Stephen Vogt.
Trevor Gott opened the fifth inning in relief for the Giants and promptly gave up a titanic home run near the last row of the bleachers to Suarez.
The Giants, trailing 3-1, took a short-lived lead off Reds' starter Anthony DeSclafani in the fourth on a two-run triple by Steven Duggar past a diving Puig in right field and a sacrifice fly by Joe Panik that scored Duggar.
Samardzija was gone after four innings, an 86-pitch ordeal in which he gave up five hits and walked three. As is often the case with the Giants, the damage all came in the first inning.
Nick Senzel walked to open the game and then Joey Votto hit one into triple's alley in right center to put the Reds quickly up 1-0. Samardzija struck out the next two hitters before Puig unloaded a two-run home run midway up the bleachers in left center and the Reds were up 3-0.
The Giants had some fireworks of their own in the bottom of the first. With two out, Longoria homered to center field off DeSclafani for just the third first-inning run for the Giants in the season's 39th game.
