Even with three wins already in the series, the Reds did not feel compelled to take their collective feet off the Giants’ throats Sunday during the finale.
Especially not when Homer Bailey brought no-hit-type stuff to the mound and real momentum has been building lately.
Bailey lost a bid for a third career no-hitter with two outs in the seventh inning but notched his fourth career shutout in the Reds’ 4-0 win over the Giants to complete the four-game sweep.
“These guys, we beat them three in a row, so you can imagine them not feeling their best. We knew that going into this and we tried to be aggressive,” said Bailey, who gave up three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts for the sixth complete game of his career and first this season.
It was the first time the Giants were dealt a four-game sweep at AT&T Park, which opened in 2000. No Reds player on the active roster was alive the last time the club achieved a four-game series sweep of the Giants in San Francisco. It previously happened from May 16-18, 1972, at Candlestick Park.
“I probably saw a couple of those games, to be honest with you, back in ’72,” said Reds manager Bryan Price, a San Francisco native. “It certainly feels great. The big thing is we’re playing much better baseball. And I think we can feel a somewhat of a palpable feeling of expecting to win. It was hard to get to that place. I think we’re there now.”
Cincinnati, which has a season-high five-game win streak, has also won eight of its last nine games and 14 of 18. The 6-1 record through series vs. the Cubs and Giants also guarantees a winning 10-game road trip with the struggling Padres up next Monday.
“This is the team we felt like we had coming out of spring. Now we’re healthy,” left fielder Skip Schumaker said. “That’s the main thing. Our pitching staff is deeper. Everybody on our offense is finally healthy and getting going. It’s a fun thing to be around right now.”
The Reds are a season-best five games over .500 at 43-38. With losses by the Brewers and Cardinals, they moved into second place by .0008 percentage points. Milwaukee still leads the National League Central by 6 1/2 games.
“The guys aren’t taking anything for granted right now,” Price said. “We can’t afford to lay back and give games away because we feel we’re playing good and already have a series. We have to go out there and try to sweep because we’re a good distance behind Milwaukee.”
Tim Hudson pitched a great game for the Giants but not great enough as he allowed two runs and five hits while pitching into the ninth inning. In the top of the third inning, Billy Hamilton lofted an RBI double to right-center field that scored Schumaker to make it 1-0. Cincinnati added on three big insurance runs in the top of the ninth to lift the tension.
How good are things going for the Reds right now? They outscored the Giants 20-6 in the four games. Reds starters were 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA (four earned runs over 32 1/3 innings) with five walks and 26 strikeouts.
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