Robbie Ray, Giants win duel vs. Nick Martinez, Reds

Field Level Media|published: Sun 30th March, 16:18 2025

Mar 30, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray (38) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Matt Chapman belted a two-run homer and turned in several key defensive plays to lead the visiting San Francisco Giants to a 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Heliot Ramos homered and drove in a pair while Camilo Doval earned his first save with a scoreless ninth for the Giants, who won the rubber game of the three-game series.

Eight months after Blake Snell came into Great American Ball Park and held the Reds hitless in a 3-0 victory, another San Francisco pitcher threatened to do the same for the first five innings.

Robbie Ray retired the first 15 batters and was perfect through five innings on just 61 pitches. The lefty was staked to a 4-0 lead before Gavin Lux singled cleanly up the middle to open the Cincinnati sixth. One out later, the shutout was gone as No. 9 hitter Austin Wynns belted a two-run homer to left to cut San Francisco's lead in half.

Matt McLain followed with his second homer to cut the San Francisco lead to one, 4-3. Ray walked Santiago Espinal and was pulled for reliever Erik Miller. The lefty reliever allowed a single to Elly De La Cruz before Christian Encarnacion-Strand grounded into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.

Ray (1-0) allowed three hits and three runs over 5 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking one.

Early on, Cincinnati starter Nick Martinez was equal to Ray, retiring the first 13 San Francisco batters.

The Giants finally broke through with one out in the fifth when Ramos drove a changeup from Martinez to the seats in left for his second homer of the season and a 1-0 Giants lead.

But Martinez recovered for the next two outs. But the Giants added to their lead in the sixth when Jung Hoo Lee doubled in Tyler Fitzgerald and Chapman belted a two-run homer to left for a 4-0 lead. Martinez (0-1) was charged with four hits and four runs over six innings, striking out five and walking one.

The Giants added two unearned runs in the eighth when Fitzgerald reached on a throwing error by De La Cruz at short. After an out call on Fitzgerald stealing third was reversed by a challenge, Willy Adames drove him home with a sacrifice fly. Ramos added an RBI single to make it 6-3.

--Field Level Media