Cincinnati beat San Francisco's two best pitchers on their home field. Matt Cain lost Game 1.
Bumgarner had pitched a one-hitter June 28 against the Reds at home, but was nothing close to that dominant this time.
The last time Baker managed in a playoff setup like this season -- with the higher seed opening on the road for the first two games
-- he was on the other end. In 1997, while managing the favored Giants, San Francisco lost the first two games in Florida and the Marlins completed a three-game sweep of the NL division series at Candlestick Park en route to the World Series title.
Baker has felt good about these Reds all along, even more so after recently missing 11 games while recovering from a mini-stroke, including when they clinched the NL Central.
"He's kind of the heartbeat of this team," Bruce said. "To have him back for the last series and starting the playoffs, especially in San Francisco, where he obviously has a ton of history and is a storied manager here, it's good. It gives us a vibe that's pretty easy to play for."
He is getting contributions from throughout his lineup and a ready-for-anything pitching staff.
On Saturday, it was Brandon Phillips with three hits and a two-run homer and Bruce with a solo shot. The Reds added on late in Game 2 against the Giants' typically reliable bullpen with Bruce's eighth-inning double, a run-scoring triple from Drew Stubbs and an RBI single by Phillips.
Ludwick, who came in just 1 for 16 lifetime against Bumgarner, silenced the orange towel-waving sellout crowd of 43,505 AT&T Park in a hurry when he sent the first pitch of the second inning over the center-field wall.
The Reds sure made the Giants' pitcher friendly ballpark feel longball friendly the way they hit in these two games.
Many of the fans quickly made for the exits after the Reds went ahead 6-0 on Bruce's two-run double in the eighth.
Tim Lincecum entered in relief for the Giants in the top of the sixth trailing 4-0. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, whose rocky season kept him out of the playoff rotation, pumped his fist after striking out Hanigan to end the sixth before a scoreless seventh.
Lincecum pitched the Giants' Game 5 World Series clincher two years ago at Texas as the franchise won its first championship since moving West from New York in 1958.
Bumgarner had his own postseason milestones to lean on as he came into another playoffs.
The left-hander was the Game 4 World Series winner against the Rangers on Halloween 2010. When Bumgarner earlier beat the Braves in Game 4 of the division series, he became the youngest pitcher in franchise history to win a postseason game at 21 years, 71 days old.
And at home this year, he had gone 9-3 with a 2.33 ERA in 14 outings, winning 14 of last 17 decisions.
NOTES: Arroyo had never gone six innings in the postseason before Sunday. ... San Francisco was shut out six times during the regular season, tied for second-fewest in the NL with Philadelphia. ... Cueto returned to Cincinnati along with Bailey. ... 2010 World Series MVP Edgar Renteria threw out the ceremonial first pitch and stopped by the clubhouse. "I'm very touched," he said. "The fans, they remember and appreciate everything. I'm never going to forget this time. They still remember what we did in 2010. It's unbelievable." ... 49ers Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana also was in the stands, along with actor Charlie Sheen
-- who received big boos as a Reds fan.