The Padres ended a six-game stretch at Petco Park on a positive note, with a 6-2 win to take two out of three from the Reds.
The series win followed a five-game losing streak that began with a stunning loss in Colorado and the three-game sweep by the Phillies that opened the home stand.
The woes continued with a 5-2 loss to the Reds, but the Friars bounced back to take the next two. And Jurickson Profar was a big factor, with eight hits in the series, including a home run and double. But with a 4-for-4 day Wednesday – his average is up to .342 – he was a particular boon to the club.
“Everything,” Jake Cronenworth told MLB.com, “started with him today.”
With the score tied 2-2 in the seventh – Profar had driven in the Padres’ two runs with a two-out single in the fourth – the Friars got to reliever Fernando Cruz quickly. Tyler Wade reached on a bunt, Profar, a line drive and Fernando Tatis Jr., a base on balls.
Cronenworth promptly took care of business, launching the first pitch he saw far over the right-field fence for a grand slam and a 6-2 lead.
Incidentally, he proved more fortunate than Manny Machado, who found himself on the wrong end of a highlight-reel play in the first. The star, with two men on, lost a home run when Cincinnati center fielder Stuart Fairchild leapt at the wall to pull Machado’s shot back in the park.
Enyel De Los Santos got the win for the Padres. Joe Musgrove started the game, striking out nine and giving up two runs over six innings.
Meanwhile, Luis Patiño, poised for a second stint with the Padres, was lost for the season this week after opting for Tommy John surgery.
Patiño, 24, debuted in the majors with the Padres in 2020, but the club sent him to Tampa Bay to acquire Blake Snell months later. Upon his recent return, the right-hander only appeared twice during Spring Training before he was sidelined with right elbow pain.
The Padres, after an off day Thursday, hit the road for three-game sets against Arizona and Chicago. Dylan Cease, Michael King and Matt Waldron are set to take the mound in Phoenix.