Tuesday was Opening Day II for the San Francisco Giants.

        “We feel like this is our second start,” San Francisco manager Dusty Baker said. “We'll see what our record is from here.”

        So far it's 1-0.

        Baker was hoping for a fresh start, because things had gone so badly entering Tuesday's game. He got it in the form of a 13-9 win over the Reds Tuesday night at Cinergy Field.

        The Giants ended a seven-game losing streak.

        They blew a 4-1 lead by allowing the Reds to score seven unearned runs in the third inning. But the Reds, in turn, blew an 8-4 lead as the bullpen allowed nine runs.

        It wasn't pretty, but it was sweet for the Giants.

        “It seemed liked a long time since we went on the field and shook hands,” Baker said.

        Before Tuesday, the Giants, now 4-9, hadn't won since April 7. They've played five games in their new Pacific Bell Park without winning. They equaled the worst 12-game start since the franchise moved to San Francisco. (The Giants opened 3-9 in 1983 and 1985.)

        This from a team that everyone expected to contend. The Giants finished second in the National League West with an 87-76 record a year ago.

        The heart of the order is back. Third through seventh in the batting order, the Giants are as good as anyone in the National League. Barry Bonds missed 60 games last year and still hit 34 homers and drove in 83 runs. And he's followed by solid run producers: Jeff Kent (23 HR, 101 RBI), Ellis Burks (31 HR, 96 RBI), J.T. Snow (24 HR, 98 RBI) and Rich Aurilia (22 HR, 80 RBI).

        Tuesday, the heart of the order produced 10 runs.

        That's the kind of offense the Giants are used to. They finished third in the NL in runs last year. Since 1997, they have scored more runs than any NL team besides the Rockies. That hasn't been the case this year. Going into Tuesday's game, the Giants were 10th in the league in runs (4.8 a game).

        Baker said a little positive karma should right the ship.

        “We need to get some timely hitting, play hard, play smart,” he said. “and alleviate the negative stuff.

        “This is our toughest road trip of the year. This is a serious gut check. Tough times build character. We've got character already. We're going to get some more.”

Giants 13, Reds 9 Sparky tours Hall of Fame Box, runs Casey takes batting practice Harnisch's start moved back Prime Time bides time Bonds scores five runs Giants like new start Reds ballpark may be caught in money squeeze Selig: Realignment on the way

• Return to Reds front page...