ESPN MLB

A home run quickly ended the San Francisco Giants' bid for a fifth consecutive shutout.

Their late long ball did nothing more than prevent them from being blanked.

San Francisco will try to get back into the win column Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds as these first-place teams continue their series by the Bay.

After Madison Bumgarner's one-hitter in Thursday's 5-0 series-opening victory extended the Giants' shutout streak to 36 innings and helped the club move alone atop the NL West for the first time in 2012, San Francisco (44-34) was denied a season-best fifth straight victory with Friday's 5-1 loss.

Any thoughts the Giants had of extending the club record with a fifth straight shutout ended after one pitch as rookie shortstop Zack Cozart sent Matt Cain's first delivery over the wall in left-center field.

"Right away we jumped him in the first inning and we chipped on a couple more runs after that," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "When you can score like this, especially when you're the visiting team, it takes a lot of pressure off your pitcher."

Pablo Sandoval's homer in the ninth inning prevented Mike Leake from earning his first career shutout, but the more important result was that the Reds (42-34) remained a game in front of Pittsburgh for the NL Central lead.

The Giants, one game ahead of slumping Los Angeles, will try to rebound with Barry Zito (6-5, 4.00 ERA) on the hill.

Zito went seven innings in an 8-0 victory over the Dodgers on Monday to win for the first time in four starts. He had posted a 10.67 ERA while losing his previous three outings.

"I think he learned from his previous starts (about throwing too many hittable strikes)," manager Bruce Bochy told the Giants' official website. "He went from one end of the spectrum to the other."

Zito is 3-3 with a 6.75 ERA in 10 starts against the Reds, with the last four coming in Cincinnati. The left-hander allowed one run in six-plus innings and was in line for a victory against the Reds on April 25, but the Giants' bullpen failed in a 4-2 defeat.

San Francisco lost 9-2 to Cincinnati the previous day, when Saturday's scheduled starter Mat Latos (6-2, 4.77) threw seven shutout innings for his first victory in a Reds uniform.

Latos, acquired from San Diego during the offseason, delivered one of the best starts of his career in Monday's 3-1 win over Milwaukee, striking out a career-high 13 during a four-hitter.

"It's an amazing feeling to finally do something good after the trade," Latos said following his second career complete game.

The first was a one-hitter in a 1-0 victory at San Francisco on May 13, 2010, while with the Padres. Latos has a 2.35 ERA in 10 starts against the Giants.

Sandoval (6 for 26) and Buster Posey (3 for 10) are the only two Giants with a home run off Latos.

Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, who returned to the lineup Friday after sitting out the series opener following a blow to the head he received Wednesday against Milwaukee, has seven hits in 17 at-bats along with four walks against Zito.

Right fielder Jay Bruce, who had four hits and three RBIs Friday, is 4 for 11 with a homer in the lefty-lefty matchup.