CINCINNATI (Interstat) — In a brisk pitchers’ duel defined by efficiency and two timely swings, the Cincinnati Reds edged the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park.

Brady Singer delivered a masterful bounce-back performance for the Reds, allowing one run over six innings on just 75 pitches to outduel San Francisco’s Robbie Ray. Singer’s effort, supported by solo home runs from Spencer Steer and Sal Stewart, helped Cincinnati improve to 10-7, while the Giants fell to 6-11.

The game, played in a swift 2 hours and 19 minutes before a crowd of 20,690, starkly contrasted with pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had forecast a 6-3 Reds victory, but the contest instead became a tense, low-hit affair where the three total runs scored matched the combined home run total. The final score of 3 also fell dramatically under an over/under line set at 9.

San Francisco struck first without a hit in the opening inning. Leadoff man Willy Adames singled, but the real damage came two batters later when Giants third baseman Matt Chapman reached on a throwing error by Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, allowing Adames to score from first. The play was initially ruled an out, but a San Francisco challenge overturned the call.

That unearned run was all the Giants would muster against Singer. The right-hander, who was rocked for five runs in just 2 2/3 innings in his previous start at Miami, was in complete command. He scattered six hits, walked none and struck out one, relentlessly attacking the strike zone and letting his defense work behind him.

Cincinnati’s offense, held to just three hits total, made two of them count. In the bottom of the third, Spencer Steer leveled the score by driving a Robbie Ray offering over the wall in left-center field for his third homer of the year. An inning later, rookie first baseman Sal Stewart followed suit, launching a solo shot to right-center off Ray to put the Reds ahead 2-1.

Ray was otherwise sharp in taking the hard-luck loss, falling to 2-2. Over five innings, he allowed just the two solo homers and one other hit while striking out six. His offense, however, could not capitalize on opportunities, finishing 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and grounding into two double plays.

The Giants’ only other run came in the fifth when Adames atoned for his earlier scoring error by taking Singer deep to left field, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Luis Arraez followed with a single, but Singer induced an inning-ending force out from Chapman to halt the threat.

The most critical juncture of the game came in the top of the eighth with the Reds clinging to their one-run lead. Arraez led off with a single against Reds reliever Tony Santillan, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate. Santillan then got Chapman to ground into a 4-6-3 double play, effectively snuffing out the rally. Rafael Devers walked, but Santillan struck out Casey Schmitt to end the inning.

Cincinnati’s bullpen sealed the victory with three perfect innings of relief. Graham Ashcraft struck out two in a scoreless seventh, Santillan navigated the eighth, and Emilio Pagán finished it in the ninth, striking out one to record his fifth save.

For the Giants, the loss extended a difficult early-season pattern. They have now dropped four of their last five games and struggled to generate consistent offense, a theme in their 2-4 road trip through Baltimore and Cincinnati. Adames and Arraez each had two of San Francisco’s seven hits, but the team left five men on base.

The Reds, meanwhile, continued a strong start at home, improving to 6-3 at Great American Ball Park. Singer’s dominant outing was the key, providing stability after his previous short start and lowering his ERA from 9.53 to 6.30.

The two teams will meet again Wednesday night for the second game of their three-game series. The Giants will look to even the set before an off-day and a trip to Washington, while the Reds aim to build momentum before embarking on a lengthy road trip through Minnesota and Tampa Bay.