Giants’ onslaught (19 runs) seals sweep

Commit to the process. The results shall follow.

The Giants absolutely routed the Reds in a 19-4 victory on Thursday to cement the four-game sweep at Great American Ball Park, scoring the most runs by any team in a game this season. Though the offensive performance was an outlier in every sense of the word, San Francisco’s attitude towards plate appearances, one defined by patience and perseverance, has become the new norm.

“You don’t expect a 19-run outburst like this,” said manager Gabe Kapler. “This happens once in a blue moon. But I do think it’s an indication that we’re having quality at-bats.”

A lot of the attention from this game will focus on the results of Thursday’s rout -- not every day do teams score nearly three touchdowns worth of runs. What’s equally worth examining was the question of “how?”

The Giants appreciate the process as much as they do the outcome. They are a patient bunch that wants to see as many pitches as possible. They will punish pitchers who don’t attack the zone. That philosophy was apparent throughout Thursday afternoon.

In the blowout, the Reds combined to throw 205 pitches (approximately 23 per inning), the most pitches that staff has thrown in a nine-inning game this season. Starter Tyler Mahle was pulled before he could record an out in the third inning. By the end of the game, Cincinnati resorted to position players to save its bullpen. With the ability to see that quantity of pitches, the results are less surprising.

Of all the offensive fireworks -- and there were a lot of them -- the most memorable was, far and away, Steven Duggar’s first career grand slam, which highlighted a nine-run third inning. Duggar’s salami wasn’t cheap either, a 427-foot bomb with a 105.1 mph exit velocity that smacked off the window of the batter’s eye below the Cincinnati Bell riverboat deck. Rather appropriately, Duggar’s home run came on a 3-2 count, the seventh pitch of the at-bat.

As Mauricio Dubón watched the ball sail over the center-field fence, he broke his stride and began to celebrate. He skipped, raised his right arm and clapped before turning around to acknowledge Duggar.

Dubón, who perpetually plays the game with an abundance of joy, awaited Duggar at home plate and greeted him with a high-five. Duggar, who smiled from ear to ear as he stepped across home plate, ragged on Dubón, comically smacking the top of his helmet with both hands.

“We were just celebrating the moment,” Duggar said with a smile.

That grin stayed on Duggar’s face as he made his way to the dugout. Evan Longoria beamed as he greeted Duggar with a high-10 before smacking him on the helmet. Kapler gave Duggar a slap on the back. As Duggar triumphantly marched across the dugout, he was greeted with a parade of hand slaps. Austin Slater ran over to Duggar and greeted him with not one, but two chest bumps.

“He had a pretty magnetic smile as he came in the dugout after that home run,” Kapler said. “He’s among our most liked players, so our dugout was really behind Duggar and genuinely happy for him.”

Of course, Duggar wasn’t the only Giants hitter who had a great afternoon at the plate. Longoria had a two-run homer. Darin Ruf had a two-run blast of his own and fell a triple short of the cycle. Brandon Crawford, who was awarded YouTube Player of the Game for his six-RBI day, had a three-run shot in the fifth inning, increasing his lead for most homers on the team with 11. Dubón had a pair of hits, while Mike Yastrzemski drew three walks.

The only “shortcoming” of the Giants’ offense on Thursday is that they were a solo home run shy of completing the home-run cycle.

By the eighth inning, Cincinnati had effectively waved the white flag, summoning infielder Alex Blandino and Max Schrock to finish the final two frames in mop-up duty. Every traditional pitcher, however, was subjected to San Francisco’s diligent offensive game plan.

Come this weekend, the Giants’ offensive modus operandi will be put to the test against the Dodgers’ litany of elite arms. The formula has worked all season. In the coming days, they’ll see how well it works in practice against one of the game’s elite staffs.

“I do think that’s a process,” Kapler said. “It’s not outcome driven, but we’re thinking like that even if we’re up two-nothing or up by a larger margin. We’re still trying to compete and fight and scratch and claw for every pitch in an at-bat.”