Justin Verlander would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he retired tomorrow. While improbable since he's 38 wins away, Verlander showed on Saturday afternoon at Great American Ball Park that his ambitions aren't impossible — he tossed five innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts in his Giants debut.

Jerar Encarnacion's season debut will be a little later than initially hoped. The Giants announced prior to Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds that Encarnacion underwent surgery on Friday in Los Angeles to repair his left hand fracture. Encarnacion will be in a split for two weeks, then begin his rehab. Encarnacion is expected to be sidelined eight weeks, longer than the slugger's initial estimate of four-to-five weeks.

The Cincinnati Reds are set to host the San Francisco Giants on Saturday afternoon. The Giants earned a 6-4 victory against the Reds on Opening Day, so Cincinnati is hoping to bounce back. Before the game, manager Terry Francona provided multiple injury updates, via Charlie Goldsmith. “Some updates from Terry Francona,” Goldsmith wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Justin Verlander shared an honest assessment of his Giants debut in San Francisco's 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday at Great American Ball Park.

If imitation if the highest form of flattery, check out how much Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brent Suter appreciates manager Terry Francona.

If imitation if the highest form of flattery, check out how much Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brent Suter appreciates manager Terry Francona.

San Francisco Giants (1-0) vs. Cincinnati Reds (0-1) Cincinnati; Saturday, 4:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Justin Verlander (0-0); Reds: Nick Lodolo (0-0) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Reds -124, Giants +105; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati had a 77-85 record overall and a 39-42 record in home games last season. The Reds averaged 7.6 hits per game last season and totaled 174 home runs. San Francisco had an 80-82 record overall and a 38-43 record on the road last season. The Giants pitching staff averaged 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings while giving up 4.3 runs per game in the 2024 season. INJURIES:

The San Francisco Giants got off to a nice start to their campaign on Opening Day with a win over the Cincinnati Reds. Coming into the year, it was hard to predict what type of team the Giants would be. While San Francisco might be an improved team, the National League West is arguably the best division in baseball. With the reigning champions at the top of the division in the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants will also have to compete with the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Logan Webb was eight-years-old when Justin Verlander made his major-league debut on July 4, 2005. An A's fan growing up, Webb dreaded watching Verlander torment his childhood team during the playoffs. “I didn't like him for a couple days,” Webb said with a smile. Come Saturday, Webb will get to sit back and enjoy Verlander's first start as a Giant, the beginning of the latest chapter in a Hall of Fame career.

Logan Webb was eight-years-old when Justin Verlander made his major-league debut on July 4, 2005. An A's fan growing up, Webb dreaded watching Verlander torment his childhood team during the playoffs. “I didn't like him for a couple days,” Webb said with a smile. Come Saturday, Webb will get to sit back and enjoy Verlander's first start as a Giant, the beginning of the latest chapter in a Hall of Fame career.

The San Francisco Giants tied a rather unique MLB record on Opening Day.

The San Francisco Giants are hoping their dip into an old era of the franchise on the field can help lead the team back to prominence. When they take the field for Opening Day against the Cincinnati Reds, it will be the dawn of a new era. Former catcher Buster Posey, who helped the team win three World Series titles as a player, was hired as president of baseball operations at the beginning of the offseason. Since his retirement as a player following the 2021 campaign, the Giants have not made it back to the postseason.

When the Giants lined up at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, two of their best young starting pitchers were announced. Kyle Harrison will start the season with Triple-A Sacramento, but the Giants still believe he'll have plenty of opportunities to start games at the big league level this season. President of baseball operations Buster Posey said before the opener that right now they want the lefty to focus on his development. "We think the world of Kyle," Posey said.

Without a designated closer such as injured Alexis Diaz, Reds manager Terry Francona must sort out the back end of his bullpen moving forward

Without a designated closer such as injured Alexis Diaz, Reds manager Terry Francona must sort out the back end of his bullpen moving forward

San Francisco Giants' Heliot Ramos (17) homers celebrates his two-run homer with Jung Hoo Lee (51) in the fourth inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Thursday, March, 27, 2025, in Cincinnati. AP Photo | Carolyn Kaster CINCINNATI (AP) — Wilmer Flores hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning, and the San Francisco Giants rallied for a 6-4 victory over Cincinnati on Thursday, spoiling Terry Francona's debut as Reds manager. The Giants scored four runs in the ninth off Ian Gibaut (0-1). Patrick Bailey's base hit to right-center tied it at 3-all before Flores drove a hanging sweeper into the left-field stands. Heliot Ramos had a two-run homer for San Francisco

For eight innings, the Reds seemed in control on Opening Day. Then, the run was swept out from under them. Despite the loss, Terry Francona's club looks like it'll be okay in 2025.

Wilmer Flores was never himself last season. Thursday, that faith was rewarded in the form of a go-ahead, three-run home run that delivered a 6-4 Opening Day win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. One game does not make a season, but if for just a day, San Francisco's conviction in Flores is paying dividends. “He's built for those moments,” said left fielder Heliot Ramos, the Giants' 19th consecutive Opening Day outfielder in the last 19 years.

The San Francisco Giants got their season started off on the right foot with a thrilling 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on the road for Opening Day on Thursday. Though the Giants will not play again until Saturday, the elation of the exciting win should carry fans from Thursday afternoon all the way through the 48 hours until they can see their team play again. For San Francisco, it was the late heroics from one of their veterans — designated hitter Wilmer Flores — which carried them to victory, blasting a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to give his team the lead: WILMER FLORES GOT YOU! https://t.co/gDfCyCd0BV pic.twitter.com/1PZMii4aY1 — SFGiants (@SFGiants) March 27,

Williams: On Opening Day, the Reds overall didn't play like the 2024 Reds. Then they needed one more out, a tough reminder their margin remains thin.