Padres hit, bunt their way to victory over Reds in series opener

Things came together for the Padres in successive innings Monday night about as well as they have in quite some time.

“It felt like we hadn’t had (a big inning) at all this whole season,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said.

The Padres scored just two runs to flip a one-run deficit into a one-run lead in the seventh inning Monday night, and their rally ended with a whimper. But they got big hits and executed small ball.

And a team that had lost 11 of 13 and scored three runs just three times in that span was thrilled to do so much right and get a little help from the Reds doing things wrong.

Then a three-run eighth, the Padres’ biggest inning since May 22, put an exclamation point on a 6-2 victory that was constructed in a manner unlike many efforts they have put together lately or, really, much at all.

“When you score that many runs in an inning, it feels very good,” Stammen said. “Feels like, ‘All right, we’re starting to trend in the right direction and create some positive vibes.’ It’s a little bit more lively and there’s some momentum. So, hopefully we can keep that momentum going and bring it into tomorrow.”

The first of the Padres’ two runs in the seventh came on back-to-back doubles by Xander Bogaerts and Gavin Sheets, which tied the game and ended Reds starter Andrew Abbott's night.

Jace Bowen then laid down a bunt that would have been a sacrifice, getting Sheets to third base, had pitcher Tejay Antone and third baseman Eugenio Suarez not both sort of hesitated and then collided as Antone fielded the ball. That gave Bowen a single and put runners at the corners.

Samad Taylor followed with a bunt to the right side that first baseman Sal Stewart charged and tried to barehand but couldn't. That brought in Sheets with the go-ahead run.

Freddy Fermin, who earlier in the game homered to give the Padres a 1-0 lead, followed by laying down a sacrifice bunt that Antone simply bobbled and never made a throw on, loading the bases.

Petco Park, which had gotten as loud as it had been in some time, quieted quickly.

The inning ended abruptly on a pop-up by Fernando Tatis Jr., a check-swing grounder by Jackson Merrill that resulted in an out at home and a groundout by Ty France.

But the Padres had the lead again.

And Jason Adam and Mason Miller worked an inning apiece to close out the Padres' second victory in three games.

The three bunts in the seventh inning upped the team's season total of bunts put in play this season to 16. The two bunt singles doubled the Padres season total. Fermin's sacrifice gave the Padres seven in 2026.

Sheets' RBI double sliced down the left field line was the Padres' ninth hit in 67 at-bats with a runner in scoring position.

So count that inning as an outburst.

Even more so what the Padres did in the eighth inning when Bogaerts singled with one out, Bowen singled with two outs and stole second, Taylor drove both in with a single and Fermin drove in Taylor with a single that made it 6-2.

Fermin has now driven in seven of the 12 runs the Padres have scored in their past three games.

His home run in the third inning made him the first Padres player to homer in three straight games this season and gave them a lead, something that had happened in just four of their previous 13 games.

Fermin and Taylor were also involved in plays that helped Padres starter Walker Buehler, who struggled with command throughout his truncated outing.

Buehler escaped unscathed in the second inning after allowing a pair of one-out singles that put runners at the corners when Taylor caught a fly ball in left field and threw out Matt McLain trying to score.

“The highlight probably is more of throwing a runner out, but never take away from driving in a run,” Taylor said. “Driving in a run is great, and right now, we’re scuffling getting runs in, and any way we can get more runs and keep going, that’s all we’re going to do.”

Buehler would not get out of the fifth despite some help at the end of a long strikeout.

After Edwin Arroyo led off the inning with a single, Blake Dunn fouled off five consecutive full-count pitches before striking out on the 11th pitch from Buehler and then stepping across the plate in front of Fermin, who made contact with him while throwing down to second base to try to get Arroyo stealing. Fermin's throw sailed into center field, but Arroyo was called out due to batter's interference.

But five pitches is all it took to go from two outs and no one on to 1-1, as JJ Bleday bounced a double over the wall in right-center field and Stewart bounced an RBI single up the middle.

A single by Nathaniel Lowe followed, and Buehler was replaced by Bradgley Rodriguez.

Rodriguez ended the inning with a lineout but was charged with the Reds' go-ahead run in the next inning on a single, a stolen base and two flyball outs.

The second of the fly balls was a sacrifice by Arroyo off Adrián Morejón, who then pitched a scoreless seventh before the Padres turned the game around by scoring more runs (two) against Abbott than they had in any of his previous four starts against them and then jumping on a bullpen the way they did so much in April.

“Glad to kind of limit runs, at least, and keep us in it,” Buehler said. “We’ve done really well at kind of taking advantage of bullpens this year. As long as we’re in the game when we get back there, we feel pretty good.”

For one night, they did again.

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