=== San Francisco Giants Team Report - August 4 ===

(My Sportsbook) - The Giants' struggles were evident over the weekend, as they lost two of three to the young Cincinnati Reds. However, San Francisco sidestepped its first sweep in Cincy since 1994 and must shift its focus to Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh at Pac Bell Park.

On Sunday, the Giants posted a 7-3 win over the stingy Reds on national television. Dustin Hermanson (2-2) collected the win in his San Francisco debut. He was acquired on July 14 after St. Louis released him. Hermanson yielded two runs and four hits over six innings with four strikeouts and two walks.

Barry Bonds and Edgardo Alfonzo both drove in a pair of runs in the winning effort. Alfonzo had three hits in the win. Benito Santiago and Neifi Perez each had two hits and an RBI for the Giants, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Bonds leads the majors in home runs (34), on-base percentage (.510), slugging percentage (.727), walks (103) and intentional walks (42).

San Francisco will look to build on its momentum when it opens up a three-game set versus Pittsburgh Tuesday. Heading to the mound for the Giants will be All-Star righthander Jason Schmidt, who is 6-1 with a 2.04 ERA in his last seven starts. During the span, he has gone the distance three times and fanned 50 with only 11 free passes.

Last time on the hill, Schmidt tossed six strong innings against Chicago, limiting it to two hits and two runs in a win. The former Pirate is holding hitters to a .198 average, the lowest in the National League.

Schmidt will be facing his former club for the first time this season. For his career, Schmidt has tallied a 2-1 record with a 3.80 ERA in three contests versus Pittsburgh.

San Francisco and Pittsburgh will be meeting for the second time this season, as the Giants won two of three at PNC Park in late April. Since the start of the 2001 campaign, the Giants own an 11-4 advantage in the series.