CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds opened September with a gritty comeback Tuesday night, scoring twice in the eighth inning to erase a one-run deficit and defeat the San Diego Padres 4-3 at Great American Ball Park.
The victory gave Cincinnati back-to-back wins after taking two of three from the Chicago Cubs over the weekend and provided a strong start to a challenging homestand against a Padres club firmly in the National League playoff race.
San Diego struck first in the opening inning when Manny Machado lifted a sacrifice fly to score the game's first run. The Reds answered immediately in the bottom half as J.J. Bleday delivered a two-out RBI single to even the score at 1-1.
The game remained tied until Fernando Tatis Jr. launched a solo home run in the fifth inning, putting the Padres back in front. Cincinnati again had an answer, this time on Hector Rodríguez's RBI single later in the inning, knotting the game at two apiece.
Nick Lodolo turned in an encouraging performance despite not factoring into the decision. The left-hander worked into the seventh inning and repeatedly pitched out of trouble, including escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third. His effort kept the Reds within striking distance against one of the National League's most dangerous lineups.
The decisive rally came in the eighth.
After Cincinnati loaded the bases against Padres reliever Adrián Morejón, Jose Trevino lined a single to score the go-ahead run before Juan Brito added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly. Brock Burke recorded the final outs of the eighth before Emilio Pagán survived Tatis' second home run of the night in the ninth to earn the save and preserve the 4-3 victory.
While Tatis accounted for all three San Diego runs with a pair of home runs and a sacrifice fly, Cincinnati once again received timely contributions throughout the lineup. The Reds didn't overpower the Padres offensively, but they capitalized on their opportunities late and received another quality effort from their bullpen to secure the win.
What's Next: The Reds and Padres conclude their three-game series Wednesday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati will look to complete the sweep before welcoming the Milwaukee Brewers for a weekend series.