And it provided them with a hang-on 6-4 victory on TJ Friedl bobblehead night in Great American Ball Park.
Friedl didn’t homer, but Stepenson, Jonathan India and Stuart Fairchild did — 1,601 feet worth of homers.
And as good as Snell was Friday night, Cincinnati starter Hunter Greene was just as good, if not even more dominant.
Snell walked three and struck out 11 during his nine innings. Greene gave up one hit, one walk and hit a batter while also striking out 11 in only six innings.
With the Reds leading, 6-0, after six and Greene reaching the so-called magic 100-pitch level, manager David Bell pulled him from the game.
It was nearly disastrous. The Reds didn’t score again and the Giants hit three home runs in the final three innings to make it close.
No pitcher in MLB is on a better streak than Greene. Over his last five games he has given up one run and 10 hits, with 41 strikeouts over 33 innings.
That’s a miniscule 0.27 earned run average.
The pitching match-up was expected to be a glossy one, but San Francisco’s Harrison was no match for Cincinnati’s thunderous bats.
Over his previous three games, Harrison was 2-0 and had given up two runs and seven hits while striking 20 in 16 1/3 innings.
In his last start, he held Colorado to one run and one hit while striking out 11 in 6 2/3 innings.
The Reds were not impressed.
The bombardment began in the second inning when Stephenson drilled his first home, an opposite field rip 387 feet one row deep into the right field seats off a 92 mph fastball.
In the second inning, Harrison appeared to have Jonathan India struck out on a 2-and-2 pitch, but plate umpire Chad Whitson gave India a big benefit of the doubt and called it ball three.
India, wobbling along on a 2-for-28 skid, then crushed one into the upper deck in left field, a 417-footer off Harrison’s 80 mph slurve and it was 2-0.
Spencer Steer and Ty France opened the fourth with back-to-back singles and Stephenson struck again. He loves swinging at 3-and-0 pitches and has homered several times during his career on 3-and-0.
He did it again, driving another Harrison fastball 418 feet over the center field wall, a three-run shot for a 5-0 lead.
When Stuart Fairchild cleared the left field wall with two outs in the fourth, a 379-footer off the top of the left field fair pole, it was 6-0 and Harrison’s day was over.
Greene showed he meant business from the start by striking out the side in the first inning.
In the second, he hit Michael Conforto with a one-out pitch and walked Mike Yastrzemski with two outs. But he stopped it right then and there by striking out Marco Luciano.
San Francisco’s only hit off Greene was a two-out single poked to right field by Conforto in the fourth inning.
Greene struck out the last two batters he faced and when he whiffed Patrick Bailey to end the sixth it came on his 100th pitch.
After Greene departed, things got hinky for the Reds. In the last three innings the Giants, oh so happy to get rid of Greene, hit three home runs.
Justin Wilson pitched the sixth and promptly gave up a Little League home run. Matt Chapman doubled to center. When Friedl bobbled the ball, Chapman took third (an error on Friedl) and Chapman continued home in Elly De La Cruz’s bad relay throw (another error on De La Cruz, his MLB-leading 22nd miscue).
Wilson then gave up a home run to Conforto and the 32,602 patrons booed loudly and restlessly.
Wilson retired the next three, two via strikeouts, but when he returned to pitch the eighth he gave up another home run, this one to Jerar Encarnacion and it was 6-3.
Closer Alex Diaz began the ninth by giving up a leadoff home run to Chapman and it was 6-4 and the noose was tightening.
But Diaz retired the next three for his 22nd save, preserving Greene’s eighth win against four defeats.
With the win, the Reds vaulted back over the Chicago Cubs and into fourth place in the National League Central and crawled within one game of the Giants in the chase with five teams for the third and final wild card spot.
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