Graham Ashcraft broke into a smile and a laugh when manager David Bell walked to the mound to remove him in the seventh inning.
It was the only time all night he wasn’t in complete control.
Ashcraft twirled a gem for 6 1/3 innings to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-1 victory against the San Francisco Giants. He permitted four hits, two walks and zero runs, allowing only two baserunners to reach scoring position.
He didn’t look like a guy who was making his home debut in his second career start. He wasn’t bothered by a two-hour, eight-minute rain delay.