The Cincinnati Reds were defeated 3-0 on Thursday. Cincinnati still earned a 2-1 series win. The big story from the game was the tension that occurred, however. Multiple players were hit by pitches and words were exchanged throughout the series. 

Spencer Steer had words for a Giants pitcher on Wednesday and he was ultimately hit by a pitch on Thursday. Sal Stewart and Erik Miller exchanged words after the game and both benches cleared. 

Steer and Stewart addressed what occurred after the contest. 

Steer was hit by a pitch early in the game on Thursday. The Giants denied intentionally hitting him. However, it was a fastball straight at Steer, which led many to question if it was intentional.

Steer also feels as if Giants pitcher Landen Roupp did indeed attempt to hit him with the pitch.

"Yeah," Steer said when asked if he feels like it was on purpose, via Caleb Noe. "I mean, the guy had pretty good command of his fastball today. A big miss like that, first at-bat, first pitch... You can be the judge of that."

Steer was not pleased with what occurred, but the benches did not clear until later in the game. 

Giants shortstop Willy Adames was hit with a pitch later in the contest. However, it was not until the ninth inning that tensions truly boiled over.

Miller struck out Stewart to end the game. The Giants reliever was emotional and was not shy about celebrating the strikeout. Stewart explained what led to his verbal exchange with the pitcher, which ended up resulting in the benches clearing.

"Struck out and he came down the mound and was looking at me, pointing at me and just yelling," Stewart said. "Tempers flared, things happened and it's all good."

The benches-clearing situation did not get out of hand. Both teams ended up returning to their dugouts not long after Stewart and Miller's exchange. 

It was an overall quality series for a Cincinnati ball club that is playing well despite the loss. The Reds don't want what happened on Thursday to overshadow their strong performance.

Cincinnati now holds an 11-8 record. The Reds have been a surprise, as they are winning many games despite an underperforming offense and a number of injuries. Cincinnati has often done just enough to earn victories.

The Reds' next series will be played in Minnesota against the Twins. Left-handed pitcher Brandon Williamson will start for Cincinnati. First pitch for the Reds and Twins clash is scheduled for 8:10 PM EST in Minnesota.