The Associated Press

CINCINNATI — For Edgar Renteria, the win was the important part. The fact that his game-ending hit came against his former team was just an added bonus.

Renteria hit an RBI single in the 13th inning to send the slumping Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.

Jay Bruce started the decisive rally with a leadoff walk on a 3-2 pitch from Brian Wilson (6-3). Miguel Cairo flied out, but reliever Jose Arredondo — making his first career plate appearance — chopped a single down the left-field line.

Bruce moved to second on Arredondo’s hit and Renteria, the World Series MVP for the Giants last season, lined a soft single down the right-field line to snap the Reds’ four-game losing streak.

“It’s always special because they’re great guys,” Renteria said of the Giants. “No matter who we play right now, we have to concentrate on winning ballgames. We were lucky to win that one.”

Arredondo’s last plate appearance was in 2004 in the Arizona rookie league. The Los Angeles Angels then converted him from a shortstop to a pitcher.

The Reds intended for him to lay down a bunt to advance Bruce but took it off after his first attempt.

“He didn’t look too good bunting,” manager Dusty Baker said.

Using his own batting helmet and Bronson Arroyo’s bat, Arredondo bounced the ball over third baseman Pablo Sandoval’s head to set up Renteria.

“I was really, really happy when I saw the ball in the outfield,” said Arredondo, who was surprised Baker took the bunt off. “I stepped out and asked to be sure.”

Arredondo (2-3) pitched a perfect 13th.

Both teams escaped bases-loaded jams in the 10th. San Francisco left fielder Nate Schierholtz threw out Joey Votto at the plate to complete an inning-ending double play.

Newly acquired Carlos Beltran, who went 0 for 4 in his Giants debut on Thursday, had an RBI single in the first for his first hit with San Francisco.

Cincinnati responded with two runs in the bottom half, and another in the second. Drew Stubbs singled and scored in the first, then drove in Paul Janish with a grounder in the second to make it 3-1.

Aubrey Huff helped the Giants rally. He hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth, then scored from first on Eli Whiteside’s two-out double on an 0-2 pitch from Bill Bray in the eighth.

Starters Dontrelle Willis of the Reds and Ryan Vogelsong of the Giants both lasted six innings. Willis allowed two runs and six hits, and Vogelsong yielded three runs and seven hits.

“Our bullpen is extremely tired but they gutted it out tonight,” Baker said. “It could have been a big downer but these guys kept fighting and fighting. Willis went deep in the ballgame but it didn’t work. We still had to use guys I wanted to stay away from.”

NOTES: Willis has gotten at least one hit in each of his four starts since being called up from Triple-A Louisville on July 10. … LHP Barry Zito will start Sunday for the Giants. … Giants LHP Jonathan Sanchez, on the disabled list since June 25 with left biceps tendinitis, will be activated in time to start Aug. 5 against Philadelphia, manager Bruce Bochy said, adding that Sanchez might make one more rehab appearance before then. … Reds 2B Brandon Phillips hit a sacrifice fly in the first to give him 500 career RBIs. … Reds SS Zack Cozart, on the disabled list with a hyperextended left elbow, took some swings before the game for the first time since he was injured on July 23.