Juan Brito belted his first career home run in support of Brandon Williamson’s return to the mound after a four-month injury hiatus to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-3 win over the visiting San Diego Padres in the rubber game of the three-game series Wednesday afternoon in Cincinnati.
JJ Bleday, who homered, and Dane Myers each collected three hits for the Reds (67-73), who won their second straight series against a team battling for a National League playoff spot. The Padres dropped their second straight game.
Williamson (3-3) was making his first appearance in a major league game since April 29 due to left shoulder fatigue. The left-hander scattered seven hits and three runs over 5 1/3 innings, tossing 87 pitches in his return to the mound and earning his first win since April 17 at Minnesota. The Reds plan to use Williamson in relief in each Chase Burns start for the rest of the season in order to minimize the innings on Burns.
Rookie Reds right fielder Hector Rodriguez added his fifth homer for the Reds.
The Padres (73-67) took a 2-0 lead over Williamson and the Reds in the first when Ty France matched a career high with his 20th homer of the season, a drive that landed off the top of the left field wall and bounced into the stands. San Diego made it 3-0 in the second on an RBI single from Fernando Tatis Jr.
Cincinnati answered with four runs in the second against San Diego starter Casey Mize (5-9). Brito, the rookie second baseman acquired from Cleveland on Aug. 3 for Nathaniel Lowe, got his first start Tuesday night and then homered Wednesday following a Mize walk to Tyler Stephenson and a single by Myers. Rodriguez capped the rally with a solo homer to the first row of seats in right.
The struggles continued for Mize since being acquired from Detroit on Aug. 3, falling to 1-3 in his six starts. The right hander was charged with four runs on five hits in just four innings.
Bleday, who recorded the 11th cycle in Cincinnati history on Aug. 22 at Arizona, fell just a triple shy of his second cycle in three weeks. His two-run homer in the seventh gave the Reds a 7-3 lead.
–Field Level Media
