San Diego PadresvsCincinnati Reds
SD 3/CIN 7
Things to say
The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres 7-3 at Great American Ball Park.
01
opener
Reds took it 7-3 over the Padres. Good getaway-day win at Great American. San Diego's bats just never really showed up.
02
key player
The heart of the Reds order did the damage — a couple of balls left the yard and that was the ballgame right there.
03
hot take
Honestly the Padres are the better team on paper, but they keep playing down to lesser opponents. That's a lineup that should be scoring more than three.
04
deep cut
Reds starter got into his stuff early and gave them length, so the bullpen barely had to work. Fresh arms going into the next series is quietly a big deal.
05
exit
We'll see if San Diego bounces back — they can't afford to drop these with the wild card race this tight.
The recap
The Reds jumped the Padres 7-3 at Great American on a getaway day, and it wasn't the result San Diego needed with October on the line. Cincinnati got into it early and never really let the heart of the Padres order breathe, banging out enough offense to make the bullpen's job easy.
San Diego's arms couldn't slam the door, and every time they clawed a run back the Reds answered. For a 67-73 club playing spoiler, this was a statement win over a team fighting for its playoff life.