Ashcraft lifts Reds over Giants amid Kapler anthem protest
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By JEFF WALLNER
Associated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) — Rookie right-hander Graham Ashcraft earned his first victory with six strong innings and the Cincinnati Reds beat San Francisco 5-1 following a political protest by Giants manager Gabe Kapler and a scuffle between Tommy Pham and Joc Pederson. Kapler refused to take the field for the national anthem, a demonstration of his frustration with the country’s political direction following this week’s school shooting in Texas. Meanwhile, the Reds’ Pham and Giants’ Pederson had a brief altercation on the field pregame. Major League Baseball is investigating the incident, and Pham was scratched after a pregame rain delay of 2 hours, 8 minutes pending the results of that inquiry.