CINCINNATI — Matt Cain has never looked worse on a major league mound, although he didn’t feel as bad as the final score suggested.
Cain was rocked for nine runs, matching the most he has allowed in the big leagues, and Jose Peraza drove in a career-high four runs in the first four innings to lead the Cincinnati Reds over the San Francisco Giants 13-3 on Friday night.
Cain (2-1), a 32-year-old veteran of 13 seasons, allowed 10 hits and threw 78 pitches in 3 1/3 innings. Five of the six batters he walked scored, and his ERA rose from 2.30 to 4.70. San Francisco pitchers walked 12 in all, the team’s most since Sept. 24, 2011, against Arizona, and the Giants fell to an NL-worst 11-19.
Twelve walks are the most drawn by the Reds since getting 13 on April 23, 2006, at Milwaukee.
“We laid off a lot of tough pitches early and made Cain work,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “We had a lot of good at-bats. Everyone in the starting lineup was on base twice.”
While admitting the walks were “ugly,” Cain felt victimized by some bloops and seeing-eye hits.
“It was close,” he said. “It was closer than it looked. That’s part of the game — the tough part of it. That’s something you’d like to see on our side of it. You’ve got to manage your way through it.”
Eugenio Suarez had three hits and three RBIs, and Billy Hamilton scored four runs for the Reds, who had 16 hits and stole five bases against Cain and catcher Buster Posey. Cincinnati scored in each of the first six innings and won for the fifth time in six games, including three in a row.
“Matty wasn’t on top of his game holding runners on,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Buster didn’t have a chance on any of them. It’s one of those nights where they did everything right.”
Bronson Arroyo (3-2) gave up three runs — two earned — and five hits in 5 1/3 innings with one walk and four strikeouts. Making his sixth start since coming back from elbow and shoulder operations that caused him to miss two seasons, the 40-year-old right-hander threw a season-high 95 pitches.
“It was 100 percent better,” Arroyo said. “The arm felt normal today. I could have gone back out there. I threw 95 pitches and felt good. The rest of my body is catching up. I can do the normal things now.”
Joey Votto hit a sacrifice fly and Suarez and Peraza had RBI singles as Cincinnati opened a 3-0 lead in the first.
Peraza extended his career-best hitting streak to nine games with a first-inning RBI single. He singled leading off the third, stole second and scored on Hamilton’s single.
Christian Arroyo homered in the second, cutting the Giants’ deficit to 3-1.
Cain twice allowed nine runs against St. Louis, on April 18, 2008, and April 7, 2013.
SOGGY START II
For the second consecutive day, rain delayed the start of the game, this time by 1 hour, 50 minutes. The combined delay time was 2 hours, 46 minutes.
CELEBRATING CINCO
The Reds (“Los Rojos”) and Giants (“Gigantes”) wore jerseys with Spanish-language versions of their nicknames in honor of Cinco de Mayo.
ARROYO REUNION
Christian Arroyo hit his second-inning home run off of fellow Brooksville, Florida, native and Hernando High School alum Bronson Arroyo. Christian was three days old when Bronson was drafted in 1995. They are not related.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto is expected to make his next start on Sunday against his former team. Cueto hasn’t missed a start despite dealing all season with a blister on his right middle finger.
Reds: LHP Tony Cingrani has started throwing lightly — 60-70 feet on flat ground, Price said — while coming back from a strained right oblique. Cingrani went on the 10-day disabled list on April 21.
UP NEXT
Giants: Rookie LHP Ty Blach (0-1, 2.55), who replaced injured Madison Bumgarner in the rotation, is to make his third start of the season Saturday.
Reds: Rookie LHP Amir Garrett (2-2, 4.50) seeks his first win in four starts since April 12. A blown save cost him a win Monday against Pittsburgh.
