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Giants' shutdown reliever Lopez allows rare HR

Kelley L Cox / Reuters

Javier Lopez is the definition of a shutdown lefty.

The San Francisco Giants reliever has a specific role out of his team's bullpen, and he does it well, but on Sunday he witnessed a rare occurrence firsthand.

The left-hander allowed his first home run of the season to St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark Reynolds in the sixth inning, giving the Cards a 6-2 lead at the time.

Lopez has done an outstanding job of limiting home runs in his career as a Giant.

He's also never had an ERA above 3.11 in his Giants career, and is currently in the midst of his best season as a pro, limiting opposing hitters to a .128 average while sporting an impressive 1.32 ERA prior to Sunday's contest.

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