SAN DIEGO (AP) — Gavin Sheets hit a tying double and then scored the go-ahead run while the Cincinnati Reds misplayed three consecutive bunts by the Padres in the seventh inning, sending San Diego to a 6-2 victory Monday night.
Freddy Fermin homered in his third consecutive game and drove in two runs for the Padres, who were struggling offensively for yet another night until they found a highly unorthodox way out of their slump and into just their third win in 14 games.
After Sheets doubled in Xander Bogaerts to chase starter Andrew Abbott (4-4), the next three San Diego batters bunted against Tejay Antone — and the Reds couldn’t field any of them.
Jase Bowen and Samad Taylor got credit for singles when Antone and his infielders failed to play their bunts cleanly, with Sheets scoring the tiebreaking run on what appeared to be a safety squeeze attempt by Taylor.
Antone was then charged with a fielding error on Fermin’s bunt, although the reliever shook it off and escaped the bases-loaded, nobody-out jam.
Bowen and Taylor, the Padres’ two recent outfield callups, contributed more than just big bunts.
Taylor added a two-run single in the Padres’ three-run eighth, while Bowen had two hits and stole the first two bases of his major league career. Taylor also threw out Matt McLain at home to end the second.
Abbott pitched four-hit ball into the seventh with six strikeouts for the Reds, who have lost five straight and nine of 11.
Walker Buehler held the Reds to one run despite giving up eight hits over 4 2/3 rocky innings.
Fermin homered in the third to extend an improbable power streak for a catcher who had only 20 homers in his five-year major league career.
The Reds went ahead in the sixth when Noelvi Marte singled and scored on Edwin Arroyo’s sacrifice fly against winner Adrian Morejon (5-1).
Up next
Lucas Giolito (2-1, 4.86 ERA) makes his second home start for the Padres on Tuesday night against the Reds’ Chase Burns (7-1, 2.05 ERA), who hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his nine starts while going 6-0 since April 10.
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