Cincinnati's Matt McLain hit his 2nd homer in as many days, and Nick Martinez was perfect for four-plus innings. But not perfect enough in a 6-3 loss.

It was sometime last year during spring training when Hayden Birdsong was engaging in a Gen Z pastime: scrolling TikTok before bed. The algorithm fed the Giants pitcher a savory yet unsubstantial diet of short-form content. “It has changed him from being really good to a possible elite pitcher in baseball,” Alston said. Added manager Bob Melvin: “We feel there's a very high ceiling for Birdsong.”

Robbie Ray started strong while the Giants' offense came through with timely hits in San Francisco's win over the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cincinnati Reds will try to give Terry Francona his second win as their manager on Sunday afternoon when they host the San Francisco Giants in the rubber match of a three-game series. Emilio Pagan, who earned the save in Cincinnati's 3-2 victory on Saturday, walked in during Francona's post-game press conference to hand him the game ball. "You would think that after all these years, I couldn't even breathe in the ninth inning," said Francona, who is in his 25th season as a major league manager, with 1,951 wins and 1,673 losses, including his most recent stint with Cleveland.

San Francisco Giants (1-1) vs. Cincinnati Reds (1-1) Cincinnati; Sunday, 1:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Robbie Ray (0-0); Reds: Nick Martinez (0-0) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Giants -121, Reds +102; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants play on Sunday with the winner claiming the three-game series. Cincinnati went 77-85 overall and 39-42 in home games a season ago. The Reds slugged .388 with a .693 OPS as a team in the 2024 season. San Francisco went 80-82 overall and 38-43 in road games last season. The Giants slugged .396 as a team in the 2024 season while hitting 1.1 home runs per game. INJURIES: Reds: Alexis Diaz: 15-Day IL (undisclosed),

Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a go-ahead solo homer, Matt McLain had two extra-base hits and an RBI and the Cincinnati Reds spoiled the San Francisco debut of three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander on Saturday, beating the Giants 3-2. McLain, who missed the entire 2024 season with a shoulder injury, got the Reds on the board with a solo homer in the third inning and scored from second base on an RBI single by Elly De La Cruz in the fifth, tying the game at 2.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a go-ahead solo homer, Matt McLain had two extra-base hits and an RBI and the Cincinnati Reds spoiled the San Francisco debut of three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander on Saturday, beating the Giants 3-2. McLain, who missed the entire 2024 season with a shoulder injury, got the Reds on the board with a solo homer in the third inning and scored from second base on an RBI single by Elly De La Cruz in the fifth, tying the game at 2.

A young fan understandably couldn't contain excitement over receiving a copy of MLB: The Show signed by Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz.

When the San Francisco Giants puts David Villar on waivers, they knew they were taking a chance on not getting him back. On Saturday, NBC Sports Bay Area reported that Villar cleared waivers and the Giants outrighted him to Triple-A Sacramento, which puts him on stand-by in case he's needed later this season. For his career he's slashed .200/.288/.400 with 15 home runs and 40 RBI.

With a rare off day on Sunday, the Houston Astros got ahead of the game and set their rotation for their three-games series with the San Francisco Giants on Monday at Daikin Park. It turns out that the Astros aren't going to deviate from their set rotation. Monday's start will feature Ronel Blanco making his season debut, followed by Hayden Wesneski. Then, on Wednesday's game, the rotation will turn back to ace Framber Valdez.

Justin Verlander would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he retired tomorrow. It's improbable, without doubt; Verlander is 42-years-old, the oldest active player in baseball, and stands 38 wins away. After being saddled with the no-decision, unable to protect a two-run lead as the Giants (1-1) lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2, he'll have to wait until the home opener to inch closer to history. “Ultimately, my guys gave me a two-run lead and I would have liked to have been able to hold that,” said Verlander, the oldest pitcher to appear in a game for the Giants since 46-year-old Randy Johnson in 2009.

And this one belongs to the Reds!

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jerar Encarnacion had surgery on his fractured left hand and is expected to miss eight weeks. Encarnacion was injured in a March 21 spring training game while trying to make a catch in the outfield. The 27-year-old was a candidate to be the team's full-time designated hitter this season. In spring training play he had two home runs and 14 RBIs with a .302 batting average. The Miami Marlins signed Encarnacion as an international free agent in 2015. He made his MLB debut with the Marlins in 2022, playing 23 games with three home runs, 14 RBIs and a .182 batting average. He signed a minor league deal with the Giants in 2024 and appeared in 35 major league games hitting

Matt McLain homered, doubled and scored twice and Christian Encarnacion-Strand blasted a solo home run to break a sixth-inning tie as the Cincinnati Reds rallied past the visiting San Francisco Giants 3-2 on Saturday afternoon. Elly De La Cruz and McLain did their damage at the plate and in the field for the Reds, who gave manager Terry Francona his first win in a Cincinnati uniform.

Justin Verlander would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he retired tomorrow. While improbable since he's 38 wins away, Verlander showed on Saturday afternoon at Great American Ball Park that his ambitions aren't impossible — he tossed five innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts in his Giants debut.

Jerar Encarnacion's season debut will be a little later than initially hoped. The Giants announced prior to Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds that Encarnacion underwent surgery on Friday in Los Angeles to repair his left hand fracture. Encarnacion will be in a split for two weeks, then begin his rehab. Encarnacion is expected to be sidelined eight weeks, longer than the slugger's initial estimate of four-to-five weeks.

The Cincinnati Reds are set to host the San Francisco Giants on Saturday afternoon. The Giants earned a 6-4 victory against the Reds on Opening Day, so Cincinnati is hoping to bounce back. Before the game, manager Terry Francona provided multiple injury updates, via Charlie Goldsmith. “Some updates from Terry Francona,” Goldsmith wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Justin Verlander shared an honest assessment of his Giants debut in San Francisco's 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday at Great American Ball Park.

If imitation if the highest form of flattery, check out how much Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brent Suter appreciates manager Terry Francona.

If imitation if the highest form of flattery, check out how much Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brent Suter appreciates manager Terry Francona.