Padres Get A Bounce-Back Win Against Cincinnati, 6-2, Behind Hits From New Arrivals

The San Diego Padres got off to a good start in their series against the Cincinnati Reds, winning the first game 6-2, behind contributions from new arrivals Samad Taylor and Jace Bowen. 

This one started out as a typical low-scoring Padres game. The two teams were locked up at 1–1 through five innings, as starters Walker Buehler and Andrew Abbott both pitched well. 

The Reds took the lead in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Edwin Arroyo that scored Noelvi Marte after Marte singled to make it 2-1. Typically this is where things have been going sideways for the Padres lately, but last night they were able to rally and turn things around.

They tied the game in the seventh inning on a double by Gavin Sheets that scored Xander Bogaerts, who had a two-hit night. A bunt single by Samad Taylor brought Sheets home to give the Padres 3-2 lead. 

The Padres expanded their lead on a two-run single by Taylor to make it 5-2, and Freddy Fermin added a run in the ninth on an RBI single to account for the final score of 6-2. 

The Padres bullpen was once again a key to this win. Adrian Morejon got the win by working 1-2/3 scoreless innings, and Jason Adam added another scoreless frame after that, with Mason Miller finishing up by adding another scoreless inning in a non-save situation. Adam and Miller both struck out the side in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, in an impressive display of power pitching. 

Fermin also showed off his newly-rediscovered power in this one, as he homered to get the Padres on the board in the third to go with his RBI single. It was the contributions of Taylor and Bowen, however, that impressed manager Craig Stammen the most. 

“They basically won us the game tonight, just being able to execute what we’re asking them to do: Steal some bases, put some bunts down, take some good ABs,” Stammen said in a piece written by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. 

The win gave the Padres victories in two of their last three games as they try to start an upward trend, and they were able to move back into a tie for second with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. Left unsaid was the lack of production from the top five hitters in the lineup, as they proceeded to go just 1-for-16 last night.