TORONTO — Brandon Belt said before the start of this series that he hoped to beat Logan Webb and joked, “I just want to embarrass his whole family.” The former Giants first baseman certainly did his best and batted at his 739 total feet of flyballs in their first two appearances, but Toronto didn’t have to leave the stadium to beat Webb harder than any other team this season.

The Blue Jays brought nine men to the plate and tagged Webb for five runs in the first inning, putting the Giants in a rare hole that proved too deep to climb out. The Giants lost the middlegame of their series 6-1 and lost away at Oracle Park for the first time since Memorial Day weekend. They broke a San Francisco-era record of 10 consecutive away wins.

A night after the Giants defeated the Blue Jays’ top starter Kevin Gausman with a game of bullpen, Toronto dosed San Francisco with the same medicine. A quartet of Blue Jays relievers limited the Giants to one run on six hits — three by LaMonte Wade Jr. — or the number Toronto hit in the first inning alone.

Austin Slater, coming on for Michael Conforto (left hamstring strain) early in the second half, made the Giants’ only run with a 402-foot solo shot over Tim Horton’s shield in right midfield. The Giants only got two other runners into goal position, Wade with a wild pitch after his leadoff single in the first and Patrick Bailey with a scoring double in the seventh inning.

The Blue Jays’ five earned runs in the first inning was the most Webb had ever conceded in a single inning and represented their worst season for a single game.

Belt entered the box at the bottom of the first pass, a run was already on the board and a man was on first base. At first it looked like he’d executed his intentions and blasted a ball deep into left center field, but had to settle for an RBI double as the ball landed a few yards from the wall. He fell just short again on his second attack, sending Luis Matos onto the runway in midfield for the lowest point of the game.

As Belt returned to the dugout, he appeared to exchange a few words with his former teammate up the hill.

While the Blue Jays marked Webb for six hits — four doubles — in the first inning, Belt’s 98.8 mph two-bagger was their hardest-hit ball of the inning until a 109-mph line-drive single from Danny Jansen won the last run. According to Statcast, George Springer’s double to lead from the inning and Daulton Varshos, driving in Belt, each had a 16% or less chance of hitting. It was only the fourth time in the Statcast era (since 2015) that a pitcher had allowed four doubles in an inning and neither registered an exit speed of 100 mph or more.

After the big first inning, Webb managed to give up 11 of the last 13 batters he faced but left Ross Stripling to start the sixth inning. Stripling, recurring for the first time since May 17 (low back strain), won the last three innings but conceded a run on three hits and had three strikeouts.

The first inning cost the Giants more than the game. Conforto was sent off for a pinch hitter early in the second period after chasing several balls down right field, including a foul by Matt Chapman that catapulted Conforto into foul territory and eventually into the waist-high wall while he was recorded the second of the inning.

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A five-run second inning gave the Cincinnati Reds a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals in front of a crowd of 16,931 at Kauffman Stadium.

After Cincinnati scored five runs in the second half to take a 5-1 lead, Cincinnati’s offense largely sat still for the remainder of the game. But the pitching team took control, with the bullpen knocking out the home side in the last four innings to secure a one-run win.

? Fourth win in a row
? Series winner in 5 of the last 6
? 22. Comeback W (also most in MLB)#ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/5j8Nlz9zDi

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 14, 2023

It was also the Reds’ ninth win in their last 11 away games. The Reds are aiming for the three-game win on Wednesday.

As this final article goes online, the Reds are now just a game and a half behind second-seeded Milwaukee, who blew a ninth-inning lead tonight in a 7-5 loss to Minnesota. Cincinnati is currently three games behind first-seeded Pittsburgh, who tied the sixth inning with the Cubs in Chicago at 10:45 p.m. ET. Also, Cincinnati is just two games behind San Francisco for third and final spot in the National League wildcard playoffs.

The offensive

Elly De La Cruz took the lead in the second inning with a walk, stole second, and ended up in third with a bad throw. Spencer Steer then hit a left to equalize 1-1. An RBI double from Kevin Newman made it 2-1, Stuart Fairchild followed with a single to make it 3-1. TJ Friedl then hit a single to the right to give Newman a 4-1 lead. Fairchild and Friedl then double stole third and second place respectively. Then Matt McLain went to load the bases with an out. Jonathan India emerged as number two into right field. As De La Cruz led for the second time in the inning, a wild pitch from Jordan scored Lyle’s run number five.

India and De La Cruz, the last two outs of the second inning, were the first of 14 straight Reds Lyles pulled back in five runs in the second inning after the Cincinnati riot.

Royals substitute Jackson Kowar extended that streak to 16 before dishing out a two-out walk to Friedl in the seventh set. India’s eighth-inning walk was Cincinnati’s only other baserunner of the night.

Friedl’s two goals got the Reds batsmen on their toes.

“This team is full of grinders. We will find a way to win.”

TJ Friedl commended the Bullpen and his teammates for tonight’s win.

He feels more comfortable after coming back from his injury.
Friedl had two hits, an RBI and a stolen base. @Tj Friedl1 | @JimDayTV pic.twitter.com/L63K4Hw8B0

— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) June 14, 2023

The pitching

Brandon Williamson gave up an unearned run in the first half, largely due to a tapper from Bobby Witt Jr. to Williamson’s right, which he hurried to throw first. The toss bounced in first place, resulting in the runners finishing in first and third place and each having an out. RJ Melendez then hit a deep, sacrificial flight to the right that would have been the third out had it not been for Williamson’s miss.

Second-inning doubles from Edward Olivares and Matt Duffy scored KC’s second run and left the Reds 5-2 after two. A two-run home run by Witt brought KC to 5:4 in the third round.

Williamson went through the first five innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs. Significantly, he gave no walks.

Right-back Daniel Duarte, who was called back from Louisville earlier in the day, was eliminated from the team in play six after seven pitches in his first major league appearance since April 2022.

Ian Gibaut came on at the end of the seventh, and three of the first four batters he faced entered the game with two walks and a hit batsman. That prompted manager David Bell to call in Lucas Sims, who responded by punching Nick Pratto and swinging Salvador Perez.

This is Lukie Tickets, folks. ????@LSims_ pic.twitter.com/7Wc4RzK829

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 14, 2023

Sims then only allowed a two-out single in the eighth game against the heart of the KC ranks. Sims was definitely the Reds’ pitching star of the game.

Alexis Diaz came on ninth and was eliminated by the Royals with his 16th save.

What’s new?

Elly made his @IntentionalTalk debut while working on his English ?@ellylacooa18 pic.twitter.com/NpUy4YOX3d

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 13, 2023

Next up are the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds at Kansas City Royals

Wednesday, June 14 at 8:10 p.m. ET

Ben Lively (3-4, 4.21 ERA) vs. Daniel Lynch (0-2, 4.41 ERA)

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