Padres lower part of order guides win over Reds

SAN DIEGO – Padres third baseman Manny Machado echoed a statement on Friday, "You don't win a championship by just one player. It takes a whole goddamn village to do it." 

Not only what he said was absolutely correct, but his words came to fruition on Monday night in San Diego's 6-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park.

While the top part of the order combined 1-for-16 at the plate, the Padres, who desperately needed to get out of their recent slump, had to solve this problem. Earlier in the season, their success came from their bench players and tonight continued to be no different. 

Players like catcher Freddy Fermin, who hit his third consecutive homer in three days and left fielder Samad Taylor led the way for the Brown and Gold.      

Walker Buehler could not avoid keeping the Reds shutout during the fifth inning. The frame started off with a leadoff single to Edwin Arroyo, who was called out at second base following catchers interference during Blake Dunn's at-bat, which led to a ground rule double by JJ Bleday and an RBI single from Sal Stewart to tie the game. Buehler was replaced after giving up a third straight hit and was replaced by right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez. 

Going 4 2/3 innings, Buehler pitched a total of 86 pitches in his 13th start of the season and gave up one run on eight hits, two walks and struck out four. 

Rodriguez gave up the go-ahead run in the sixth inning after Arroyo's sac-fly to center field to score right fielder Noelvi Marte. 

It took awhile for San Diego to get anything going against Reds' right-hander Andrew Abbott, as he retired 10 batters in-a-row and had only given up two hits going into the seventh inning. 

However for Cincinnati, that's where the game took a 180, starting off with back-to-back doubles by Xander Bogaerts and Gavin Sheets to tie the game 2-2. That would quickly end Abbott's night but the chaos only just begun. 

Following the pitching change for reliever Tejar Antone, the two fresh faces Jase Bowen and Taylor executed two bunt singles to return the lead back to the Padres. Fermin also laid down a bunt but would labeled as a fielding error by Antone to load the bases. The right-hander did get himself out of a no-out bases loaded jam, sitting down Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Ty France. 

First pitch of the tomorrow's middle game will take place at 6:40 p.m. and it will feature a pair of right handers on the mound. For the Padres, Lucas Giolito (2-1, 4.86 ERA) will make his fifth start and Chase Burns (7-1, 2.05 ERA) will make his 13th start for the Reds.  

This story will be edited at a later time