Cincinnati Reds at San Francisco Giants

One day after watching rookie Carson Whisenhunt depart his start with a left elbow injury, the Giants saw an eerily similar scene unfold with veteran right-hander Adrian Houser. Houser exited Tuesday night’s 3-1 win over the Reds after experiencing right flexor tightness in the top of the second inning at Oracle Park. Houser started shaking and flexing his right arm after striking out Matt McClain swinging on a 94.5 mph fastball and continued to look uncomfortable after throwing another 93.6 mph heater to Héctor Rodríguez, drawing a mound visit from catcher Drew Cavanaugh. Assistant athletic trainer Ryo Watanabe and manager Tony Vitello also emerged from the dugout to check on Houser, who subsequently walked off the field after throwing only 26 pitches over 1 2/3 scoreless innings.  Houser said he dealt with a similar issue in 2022, when he missed close to two months with a right flexor strain. He’ll undergo an MRI exam on Wednesday, but he sounded optimistic about his outlook following the game.  “I was trying to gut through it and get through it,” Houser said. “It’s been barking a little bit. But it kind of got to the point where I was just feeling it every time. We wanted to play it safe. Hopefully, everything is good and it’s just a minor setback.” Right-hander Anthony Molina, who was acquired from the Braves in exchange for Tyler Mahle earlier this month, entered the game to replace Houser and earned the win after tossing 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his Giants debut. The victory clinched San Francisco’s first series win since July 27-29 against the Brewers. “It was a quick ramp-up for me, but luckily I was able to get the job done,” Molina said in Spanish. Houser’s departure is the latest injury concern for the Giants, who also announced Tuesday that Whisenhunt has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow and has been recommended to undergo surgery.