CINCINNATI — Opportunities were there early for the Cincinnati Reds.
The timely hit never came.
Michael King pitched six scoreless innings, Manny Machado collected four hits and the San Diego Padres defeated the Reds 5-0 Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park.
Cincinnati threatened repeatedly during the game's first three innings, putting multiple runners on base each time against King. The Reds stranded runners at second and third in the opening inning before leaving two more aboard in both the second and third, allowing San Diego's right-hander to escape each jam unscathed.
The missed opportunities came back to haunt the Reds in the fourth.
Machado opened the inning with a single before Ty France and Jackson Merrill followed with base hits, the latter driving home the game's first run. Xander Bogaerts then lined a two-run double into left field, and Dustin Harris capped the rally with an RBI single as the Padres strung together six consecutive hits to build a 4-0 advantage.
Brady Singer absorbed the loss after allowing four runs on 10 hits over 4? innings. The right-hander struck out five but couldn't recover from San Diego's decisive fourth inning.
King, meanwhile, continued one of the hottest stretches of his season. Working around four hits, three walks and two hit batters, he struck out six while extending his scoreless innings streak to 15? innings. Relievers Kyle Hart and Wandy Peralta finished the five-hit shutout as Cincinnati was blanked for the first time since Aug. 8.
Machado finished 4-for-5 to pace San Diego's 15-hit attack, while France added three hits and Bogaerts drove in two runs. Sal Stewart accounted for one of Cincinnati's five hits and nearly put the Reds on the board in the third inning, but Jackson Merrill robbed him of a home run with a leaping catch in center field.
The loss snapped Cincinnati's two-game winning streak and spoiled what had been a promising finish to its road trip against the Cubs.
What's Next: The Reds continue their three-game series with the Padres on Tuesday night. Cincinnati will look to even the series behind Nick Lodolo after being shut out in the opener.