{"id":444784,"date":"2026-08-27T05:02:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T05:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/444784\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T05:02:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T05:02:28","slug":"sf-giants-beat-reds-to-complete-first-three-game-sweep-of-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/444784\/","title":{"rendered":"SF Giants beat Reds to complete first three-game sweep of season"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 The day started with anger. It ended with agony.<\/p>\n

Tony Vitello didn\u2019t get through the first inning before being told to scram, thrown out by home plate umpire Ryan Blakney for arguing a check-swing call. Already ejected, Vitello exploded. F-bombs flew left and right. On the verge of their first three-game sweep of the year, Vitello\u2019s expedited return to the clubhouse was a bad omen for the Giants.<\/p>\n

Yet from the confines of his office, Vitello saw his team come three outs away from finally breaking out the brooms. He saw Logan Webb\u2019s six innings of two-run ball. He saw Rafael Devers\u2019 third home run in the last three games, the 111th Splash Hit in Oracle Park history. He saw Jonah Cox and Shay Whitcomb\u2019s two-run homers and Drew Gilbert\u2019s pinch-hit, three-run double, the latter of which looked like it\u2019d be the dagger.<\/p>\n

Then, he saw the collapse, his bullpen blowing a six-run ninth-inning lead and allowing seven runs in the inning. The meltdown was of historic proportion, the first time in franchise history they\u2019ve lost when leading by six in the ninth inning. San Francisco has found many odd, obscure and torturous ways to lose this season. This loss, a 10-9 defeat on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park, was in a category of its own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really have a word for it,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cIt\u2019s more than unfortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Francisco Giants relief pitcher Spencer Bivens #76 throws against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

The Giants entered the ninth inning with a comfortable 9-3 lead, needing just three outs to complete the sweep. Spencer Bivens, who pitched a scoreless eighth, was sent out for the ninth. He didn\u2019t record a single out.<\/p>\n

Cincinnati\u2019s H\u00e9ctor Rodr\u00edguez, who already homered in the third, hit a blast into McCovey Cove, trimming San Francisco\u2019s lead to 9-4. Elly De La Cruz followed with a single, and Bivens walked the next two batters to load the bases. Bench coach Jayce Tingler, acting as the manager following Vitello\u2019s ejection, called on Dylan Smith. Still, the fire raged.<\/p>\n

Eugenio Su\u00e1rez, the first hitter Smith faced, hit a grand slam to make it 9-8. The Reds\u2019 Dane Myers reached on a bunt single, then took second on a throwing error by third baseman Buddy Kennedy. Matt McLain beat out his own bunt single. Jose Trevino provided the equalizer with a sacrifice fly, then Tyler Stephenson completed the meltdown with an RBI single.<\/p>\n

The six-run lead was gone. A one-run deficit remained.<\/p>\n

\"CincinnatiCincinnati Reds\u2019 Eugenio Su\u00e1rez #28 is congratulated by teammate Sal Stewart #27 after hitting a grand slam home run off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Dylan Smith #66 in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

\u201cSmitty\u2019s carried a pretty big load for us, and he\u2019s pretty gassed,\u201d Vitello said of his closer. \u201cThat was my consensus from that ending. I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a lot of other stuff to break down, but that\u2019s my only thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Giants got the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth when Turner Hill snuck a single into right field with one out, but he wouldn\u2019t advance past first. Emilio Pag\u00e1n shut the door, and boos filled Oracle Park as the Reds celebrated their unbelievable victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand their disappointment,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cIf they were in the locker room, I\u2019d try to give you a rally speech or something like that. You can only say so much. Words aren\u2019t going to carry a whole lot of weight in a situation like this. Play on the field will dictate what\u2019s going on behind the scenes: adjustments, work, attitude, how important it is to you, all those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vitello\u2019s words carried enough weight in the top of the first to get him his fourth career ejection. When Blakney sent him packing, Vitello leaped out of the dugout and yelled, \u201cMy guy\u2019s competing his [expletive] [expletive] off,\u201d in reference to Webb.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a [expletive] strike, he [expletive] deserves it,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cGet it [expletive] right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought the guy swung,\u201d Vitello explained postgame. \u201cIt\u2019s part of my role to say if that\u2019s what I thought, and then you can get into escalation versus de-escalation. It\u2019s up to you guys. I don\u2019t know what the rules are there. I didn\u2019t throw two baseballs at anybody, I can tell you that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CincinnatiCincinnati Reds\u2019 Matt McLain #9 scores the game-winning run on an RBI single by Tyler Stephenson #37 in the ninth inning of their MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

Webb, who didn\u2019t think Su\u00e1rez swung, appreciated his manager for having his back and ensured the ejection wasn\u2019t in vain. After his shortest outing of the season last Friday, Webb turned in six strong innings with six strikeouts.<\/p>\n

Landen Roupp was originally slated to pitch on Wednesday with Webb going on Thursday, but in the morning the team flipped the order. Of the decision, Webb said he \u201cknew from the get-go\u201d and that it was partially his idea.<\/p>\n

Webb referenced Roupp\u2019s workload and the benefit of an extra day, but it\u2019s possible there was another motive. With the bullpen being taxed on Monday and Tuesday following injuries to Carson Whisenhunt<\/a> and Adrian Houser<\/a>, Webb was the better bet to eat more innings. Still, by day\u2019s end, the Giants deployed five relievers and needed three (Bivens, Smith, Reiver Sanmartin) to complete the ninth.<\/p>\n

Before the ninth, the Giants nearly blew a smaller four-run lead in the top of the seventh. Reliever Jason Foley allowed the Reds to load the bases on three singles, prompting Tingler to summon Ryan Walker. Walker limited the damage to one run via a sacrifice fly, an effort that got lost on a day like Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb #62 throws against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

Webb acknowledged that \u201cweird\u201d games like this one are bound to happen over the course of a season. The Giants\u2019 best win of the season, after all, saw them erase an eight-run deficit to stun the Washington Nationals. As far as where to go from here, Webb and Vitello had the same message, independent of one another: come back tomorrow and try to win.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings happen. Baseball, it\u2019s weird,\u201d Webb said. \u201cEven if it\u2019s like the one we had earlier in the season where Bryce (Eldridge) hit the homer and we came back and scored a bunch of runs, you still got to show up the next day and try to win a baseball game. It doesn\u2019t matter each way. You just got to show up tomorrow ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI give it like 24 hours. After that, you flush it,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYou come to the field. It\u2019s a new game, a new day for a new opportunity to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Jonah Cox #53 hits a two-run RBI home run off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo #40 in the second inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Jonah Cox #53 is congratulated by teammate Shay Whitcomb #13 after hitting a two-run RBI home run off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo #40 in the second inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo #40 throws against th eSan Francisco Giants in the second inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The American flag is flown at half-staff in honor of singer Dolly Parton during the San Francisco Giants MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Parton died yesterday at the age of 80. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds\u2019 H\u00e9ctor Rodr\u00edguez #43 rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off San Francisco Giants\u2019 pitcher Logan Webb #62 in the second inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Rafael Devers #16 is congratulated by third base coach Gary Pettis #81 after hitting a two-run RBI home run off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo #40 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo #40 is taken out of by manager Terry Francona n the fifth inning of their MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Shay Whitcomb #13 rounds the bases after hitting a two-run RBI home run off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Julian Garcia #57 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Shay Whitcomb #13 hits a two-run RBI home run off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Julian Garcia #57 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Christian Koss #50 scores on a home run by teammate Shay Whitcomb #13 in the sixth inning of their MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jason Foley #64 throes against the Cincinnati Reds in the seventh inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Andrew Knizner #19 is hit by a pitch thrown by Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Tony Santillan #64 in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Shay Whitcomb #13 celebrates with teammate Christian Koss #50 after hitting a two-run RBI home run off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Julian Garcia #57 in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Drew Gilbert #0 hits a three-run RBI double off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Tony Santillan #64 in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Grant McCray #58 and Turner Hill #52 celebrate after scoring on a three-run RBI double by teammate Drew Gilbert #0 in the eighth inning of their MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Christian Koss #50 hits a sacrifice bunt off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Tony Santillan #64 in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds\u2019 Eugenio Su\u00e1rez #28 hits a grand slam home run off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Dylan Smith #66 in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds\u2019 Eugenio Su\u00e1rez, #28 right, celebrates with teammates after hitting a grand slam home run off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Dylan Smith #66 in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds\u2019 Jose Trevino #35 hits a sacrifice fly off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Dylan Smith #66 to tie the game in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds\u2019 Dane Myers #17 celebrates with teammate Tyler Stephenson #37 after scoring on a sacrifice fly by Jose Trevino #35 to tie the score in the ninth inning of their MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds\u2019 Tyler Stephenson #37 hits the game-winning RBI single off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Dylan Smith #66 in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Reds\u2019 Elly de la Cruz #44 and teammates leave the field after their 10-9 MLB win against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 22<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants\u2019 Jonah Cox #53 hits a two-run RBI home run off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo #40 in the second inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

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