CINCINNATI (CBS / AP) -- Pablo Sandoval extended his hitting streak to one game from the Giants record. Other than that, very little went right for San Francisco.

And manager Bruce Bochy was fuming at the end over an inside pitch that drew a warning for both teams.

Mat Latos finally got his first win for Cincinnati, pitching seven shutout innings against an old NL West nemesis, and Brandon Phillips homered and drove in three runs Tuesday night, leading the Reds to a 9-2 victory.

A lot of the drama had been taken out of the game when Cincinnati's Sam LeCure came on to pitch the ninth and got Bochy riled by nearly hitting his catcher.

Sandoval singled to open the inning, leaving him with a hit in each of the Giants' 17 games. It's the second-longest hitting streak to open a season in franchise history, one behind Johnny Rucker of the 1945 New York Giants.

Buster Posey then came up and dodged a pitch from LeCure that drew a warning to both benches from plate umpire Vic Carapazza. Cincinnati's Joey Votto was hit in the seventh by rookie reliever Dan Otero, who let the game get away as the Reds batted around.

"The kid's got two weeks, three weeks in the big leagues," Bochy said. "He's trying to get through the inning, trying to survive. He's not trying to hit anybody."

Posey was surprised by the inside pitch. He then homered.

"I don't know," he said, asked if he thought LeCure was trying to hit him. "I don't know if it was on purpose or not."

Latos (1-2) came to the Reds in a four-player deal with San Diego and acknowledged trying too hard to impress his new team. He was back on his game against the Giants, allowing only four singles.

Phillips hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Matt Cain (1-1) after being called out on a foul tip. The umpires decided the tipped ball hit the dirt, giving him another swing.

The Giants have lost six straight and 11 of 15 at Great American Ball Park.

Cain was in one of the best stretches of his career when he loosened up on a cool, breezy evening in Cincinnati. The right-hander had thrown 18 shutout innings in his last two starts, two innings shy of his career best. In those two starts, only four runners reached base.

A foul tip led to the end of his scoreless streak.

Drew Stubbs doubled in the first inning. Phillips worked the count to 2-2, then tipped a pitch that Posey caught by the dirt. Carapazza called Phillips out, but first base umpire Gerry Davis indicated that the foul tip hit the ground before reaching the catcher's mitt.

Posey raised his mitt to try to show that he caught the tip. He didn't argue when the umpires decided the ball hit the ground.

"I wasn't sure if it hit the ground or not," Posey said. "I think it actually did."

Given the reprieve, Phillips homered to center on the next pitch.

Instead of having a quick, scoreless inning, Cain wound up throwing 38 pitches in the first. He got into a rhythm after that inning.

"Obviously that's taxing to the pitch count, but physically I felt fine," said Cain, who threw 116 pitches in 6 1-3 innings. "The first inning didn't bother me."

Ryan Ludwick hit a solo homer off him in the seventh, when the Reds batted around for six runs. Jay Bruce and Scott Rolen each had two-run doubles off Otero.

Latos' win was his latest notable moment against the Giants. After San Francisco eliminated San Diego from contention in 2010, he signed three baseballs with "I Hate SF!" in the offseason as part of a fundraiser for major league players' alumni association, insisting it was in good humor.

NOTES: Giants 1B Aubrey Huff missed his third game while attending to a family emergency. Bochy said after the game he wasn't sure when he will rejoin the club. ... Kentucky coach John Calipari threw a ceremonial pitch before the game. The Reds honored the Wildcats' national basketball championship. ... An estimated 660 dogs were among the crowd of 19,051 as part of a pet promotion. ... LHP Barry Zito starts for the Giants on Wednesday. He's 0-2 in five career starts at Great American Ball Park with a 7.20 ERA. ... RHP Bronson Arroyo goes for the Reds. He has allowed a total of three runs in 15 1-3 innings over his last two starts.

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