SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Rookie right-hander Graham Ashcraft bounced back from two poor starts to hit a career-high eight innings to help the Cincinnati Reds end their seven-game losing streak Friday night with a 4-2 win over San Francisco to end giants.
Nick Senzel drove in two runs and Mike Moustakas scored twice to fuel Cincinnati’s offense.
Ashcraft (4-1) only faltered in the fourth inning when Evan Longoria hit a two-out homer, and in the eighth – when Mike Yastrzemski hit an RBI single. This was followed by a double-play comeback induced by Tommy La Stella by Ashcraft to dampen a potential Giants rally.
Hunter Strickland worked the ninth against his former team for his third save.
Ashcraft allowed six hits and missed none while batting eight. He gave up 10 carries and 17 hits over 9 2/3 innings in his previous two starts.
Cincinnati opened the scoring with two runs in second off starter Alex Cobb (3-3). Kyle Farmer reached with an infield single and hit with Moustakas’ double. Senzel also doubled to knock Moustakas.
Senzel and Jonathan India executed a double steal to set up a run-scoring groundout by Donovan Solano in the fifth leg. That was the last run billed to Cobb, who went 4 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs, two earned and five hits while walking one and striking four.
Moustakas doubled again in sixth off left-hander Jake McGee and came home with Senzel’s single.
FRESH ARMS
San Francisco recalled RHP Yunior Marte from Triple-A Sacramento and selected RHP Zack Littell to the same club.
Littell hit three runs in four innings spanning his last two appearances, including a 40-pitch stint in the second.
“Zack did a lot of promoting for us, and that last outing was relatively tough,” said Giants manager Gabe Kapler. “I don’t think it’s a secret that we want to be able to protect our bullpen and today we felt like we needed to get an arm in the squad that will get us two innings or more if needed can.”
TRAINING ROOM
Reds: Placed RHP Jeff Hoffman on injured list and recalled RHP Jared Solomon to fill his spot. … LHP Nick Lodolo (Low Back Strain) is expected to make his fourth rehab appearance for Triple-A Louisville in Toledo on Wednesday. “He will start again and then be with us as a starter in the first week of July,” said manager David Bell. “Around the 4th or 5th if all goes well next time.”
Giants: SS Brandon Crawford returned to the lineup. He left Tuesday’s game in Atlanta with a bruised left knee after colliding with catcher Travis d’Arnaud. …OF LaMonte Wade Jr. went 2 for 5 with a double, a home run and two RBIs as a DH with Triple-A Sacramento in a rehab game Thursday. He was scheduled to play outfield for seven innings on Friday. “We saw with LaMonte that we want him to feel confident in his performance and his health,” Kapler said. “And when we bring him back to the major leagues, we want him to feel like he can do whatever he needs to do on the baseball field without limitations. And we will be patient with that.”
NEXT
Reds LHP Mike Minor (1-3, 6.97 ERA) meets Giants RHP Logan Webb (6-2, 3.26) on Saturday.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
JOIN THE CONVERSATION