Arroyo on the mark, Reds lead series 2-0

• Reds' Bronson Arroyo retired the first 14 batters he faced
• Cincinnati takes a commanding 2-0 lead in the series
• Giants' Madison Bumgarner allowed four earned runs

NL Division Series, Game 2 from San Francisco's AT&T Park

Game 2: Reds 9, Giants 0: Cincinnati leads, 2-0. Of the 42 teams that took a 2-0 lead in a division series before this year, 38 advanced to the League Championship Series.

State of the Series: The Reds could not be in a better position, nor the Giants in a more dire one. With the series moving to Cincinnati for Game 3 on Tuesday, the Reds will send out Homer Bailey – who threw a no-hitter Sept. 28 – against a San Francisco club that produced nine hits and two runs in the first two games combined. The Giants will counter with Ryan Vogelsong, who was sharp in his last three outings, but it may not matter if the offense doesn't wake up. Plus, Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos wait in the wings for the Reds.

Game 2 Pivotal Point: With one out and Cincinnati runners on first and second in the fourth, right fielder Hunter Pence missed the cutoff man on Scott Rolen's single as he tried unsuccessfully to nab Joey Votto at the plate. Both runners advanced a base, prompting the Giants to play the infield in. The next batter, Ryan Hanigan, hit a grounder that probably would have been turned into a double play in normal circumstances, but instead got through for a two-run single. Reds up 4-0 and the game very much under control.

Man of the Moment: Bronson Arroyo carved through the San Francisco lineup as if taking a new knife to a Thanksgiving turkey. The veteran right-hander did not allow a Giant to reach base until Brandon Belt singled with two outs in the fifth inning, then went on to retire the next six batters. Arroyo initially took advantage of AT&T Park's generous outfield space, but then struck out four in a row and followed that by getting eight of the next nine batters out on grounders. He was in total command through his seven innings.

Needing a Mulligan: For the second night in a row, a Giants starter who won 16 games during the season failed to get past the fifth inning. In this case, Madison Bumgarner did not survive the fifth, giving up four runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. Bumgarner's downfall was the fourth, when he allowed four singles in a five-batter span, good for three runs and a 4-0 Reds lead.

What you missed on TV: The lively ovation Tim Lincecum received when he trotted out of the dugout to begin a relief stint in the sixth inning.

Incendiary bullpen: The Giants trailed 3-1 going into the ninth inning Saturday, then Santiago Casilla allowed two runs to extinguish any chance against Reds closer Aroldis Chapman, who was not sharp. On Sunday, Cincinnati clobbered relievers Jose Mijares and Guillermo Mota for five runs in the eighth, turning a 4-0 game into a laugher. That's not exactly how you spell relief.