Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a go-ahead solo homer, Matt McLain had two extra-base hits and an RBI and the Cincinnati Reds spoiled the San Francisco debut of three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander on Saturday, beating the Giants 3-2.

McLain, who missed the entire 2024 season with a shoulder injury, got the Reds on the board with a solo homer in the third inning and scored from second base on an RBI single by Elly De La Cruz in the fifth, tying the game at 2.

Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits in six innings. He finished with one strikeout and settled in, forcing a number of groundouts.

Two days after losing the season opener due to shaky relief pitching, Tony Santillan, Graham Ashcraft and Emilio Pagán worked three scoreless innings to seal the win.

The 42-year-old Verlander, who signed a $15 million, one-year contract with the Giants in January, struck out five, walked one, allowed two runs and six hits in five innings. Aside from McLain’s solo homer, Verlander kept the Reds in check until the fifth inning, when McLain and De La Cruz had back-to-back hits and tied the score.

San Francisco’s Spencer Bivens (0-1) took the loss.

Like McLain, Encarnacion-Strand’s 2024 season was defined by injuries. Encarnacion-Strand missed nearly all of last season with a wrist injury, but the first base slugger has four hits in eight at-bats in 2025.

Key moment

A diving play by McLain forced a ground out for the first out in the sixth, and a slick double play by McLain and De La Cruz got Lodolo out of the inning.

Key stat

In 90 MLB games, McLain has 17 homers.

Up next

The Reds will start Nick Martinez, who posted a 3.10 ERA last season, against 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray in Sunday’s series finale.

A report from the Salt Lake Board of Realtors on Utah housing says the median home price in Summit County was $1.7 million in January 2025, the highest in the state.

Wasatch County was next at $1.5 million, double the median price in Rich County, the third highest.

Staff say Summit County is now more expensive than San Francisco, Honolulu and San Diego, areas known not just for high housing costs but for high costs of living.

According to the California Association of Realtors, San Francisco’s median home price was $1.4 million in January 2025 and $1.6 million in February.

Areas in and around Park City have long seen median values above that. The Park City Board of Realtors’ most recent median prices are $4 million in city limits and $2.3 million in the Snyderville Basin.

Kamas was approaching a $1 million median home price last year, and Salt Lake Realtors’ statistics signal housing prices are continuing to rise across Summit County.

Summit County is a financial supporter of KPCW. For a full list, click here.

SAN FRANCISCO – Big sweeps, but few prosecutions in San Francisco. 

At this point, law enforcement officials are standing by the strategy of enforcing and tracking down where drug markets move even if they aren’t leading to many prosecutions at this point. 

San Francisco’s Police Department has highlighted several high-visibility enforcement efforts, including just over a week ago at the intersection of Market and Van Ness to show the renewed effort to crack down on open-air drug markets and use. 

So far no charges

While that sweep resulted in 40 or so arrests, so far no one has been charged. 

Law Professor David Levine from UC School of Law San Francisco said police can arrest someone based on probable cause, but prosecutors need to meet the higher bar of beyond a reasonable doubt to win a case. 

“There’s a big difference between the standards police use to make an arrest versus what the prosecutors use to initiate a prosecution and ultimately what they need to win a case in front of a jury,” said Levine.

What they’re saying:

San Francisco police issued a statement reading in part, “17 of the arrests at Market and Van Ness were for outstanding warrants that were sent to the appropriate jurisdictions. These efforts have led to better outcomes. Our streets are cleaner and safer where we enforce the law.” 

Calling it successful 

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office also weighed in, calling the enforcement a success and saying most of those arrested were cited for misdemeanors and will appear in court within the next month or so.

The DA released a statement reading in part, “Successful prosecution and law enforcement requires a robust, collaborative partnership among agencies, and we are committed to working with our partners to offer guidance on what we need to meet our burden of proof.”

Supervisor Matt Dorsey, whose district includes the South of Market, agrees that simply having police disrupt drug markets and use is an important step, and can even be a tool to get drug users into treatment, and impact the demand side of the drug trade. 

“The party is over”

“This isn’t about going back to the war on drugs,” said Supervisor Dorsey, “It is about telling people that the party is over. We have to restore public order in San Francisco.”

Legal experts say even without prosecutions, law enforcement may be sending a message. 

“Because you’re going to make these criminals at least a little more careful about what they’re doing,” said Levine. “They’re going to be a little bit more discreet about what they’re doing.”

What’s next:

The DA said her office will be meeting with SFPD next week to discuss the recent enforcement, and offer guidance on what her attorneys need to successfully prosecute cases.