Watch: Samardzija snaps bat over knee after whiffing

For a guy who spent the last year-and-a-half toiling in the American League, Jeff Samardzija had gotten off to a pretty strong start at the plate with the San Francisco Giants, so the right-hander was, uh, a wee bit frustrated after striking out, for a second time, in the eighth inning Tuesday.

Though Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after his club's 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds he would rather Samardzija not do that in the future, he was admittedly impressed by the 31-year-old's strength.

" ... The way that thing broke off, he looked like Herman Munster," Bochy said.

Samardzija, by the way, struck out a season-high nine hitters over eight innings of one-run ball at Great American Ball Park, improving to 4-1 through his first six starts with San Francisco.