Juan Soto belted a tiebreaking three-run home run and Manny Machado drilled a pair of homers as the visiting San Diego Padres snapped a season-long, six-game skid with a 12-5 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday
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Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha (8-2) returned from a one-start absence, allowing just one run on five hits over five innings on his 32nd birthday.
Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2-for-4 and drove in three for the Padres, who won for just the third time in 12 games
The Reds were hurt by their defense. Elly De La Cruz committed an error that led to an unearned run charged against starter and loser Brandon Williamson (1-2) in the decisive four-run sixth
Williamson allowed just two runs (one earned) on three hits over five-plus innings.
Spencer Steer threw away a routine grounder in San Diego’s five-run seventh as the Padres put the game away against reliever Alec Mills with three more unearned runs
Matt McLain doubled twice and Jonathan India belted a 430-foot grand slam in the seventh for the Reds, who had their three-game win streak snapped and lost for just the fourth time in 19 games
The Padres took the first lead in the third when Trent Grisham walked to open the inning. After stealing second, Grisham scored on a Fernando Tatis Jr. double to right
The Reds collected five hits off Wacha in all five of his innings but could only manage one run. Wacha improved to 13-3 lifetime against the Reds
Williamson started the sixth for Cincinnati and gave up a leadoff single to Austin Nola. Reliever Buck Farmer entered the game and gave up a three-run homer to Soto three batters later, which broke the 1-1 deadlock. Machado immediately followed with his 10th homer to cap the four-run sixth.
Machado added his 11th homer in the five-run seventh while Soto, who extended his on-base streak to 18 games, had a sacrifice fly in the eighth to finish with four RBIs.
Joey Votto went 0-for-3 with a walk, extending his hitless streak to 18 at-bats. That marks his longest drought since finishing 2022 in an 0-for-22 slump.
On his 43rd birthday, Nelson Cruz went 2-for-5 despite fouling a Williamson pitch off his lower left leg in the fifth inning. MLB’s second-oldest player remained in the game.
–Field Level Media
