Padres 9, Reds 7
CINCINNATI -- Yonder Alonso belted a game-tying grand slam in the seventh inning and Matt Kemp had a homer and five RBIs, lifting the San Diego Padres to a 9-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
Kemp went 3-for-5 with a double, homer and the go-ahead two-run single in the eighth for San Diego (29-28), which has won seven of eight meetings against the Reds dating to last season.
Brandon Maurer (2-0) got the win and Craig Kimbrel notched his 13th save for the Padres.
Shortstop Zack Cozart homered and third baseman Todd Frazier went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including two doubles on Saturday for Cincinnati (23-31), which blew a five-run lead for the first time this season.
Jumbo Diaz (2-1) took the loss for Cincinnati, which jumped on Padres right hander Andrew Cashner for three runs in the first inning.
Frazier's two-run double over Will Venable's head in center put the Reds in front 2-0. Catcher Brayan Pena added an RBI double to drive home the third run.
Cozart's seventh home run of the season came on Cashner's first pitch with two outs in the third, making the score 4-0.
Cashner allowed a career-high seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. He has given up 12 runs in his past two outings.
Rookie right-hander Michael Lorenzen made his sixth career start for the Reds, allowing three earned runs in six innings.
San Diego scored its first run on Kemp's second homer, which barely cleared the right-center field wall in the fourth.
Two misplays by Venable resulted in two runs for Cincinnati in the fourth.
First baseman Joey Votto's second triple of the season sailed over a charging Venable's head to drive home Lorenzen, who went 2-for-3.
Votto scored when Venable again charged in for Frazier's liner, only to see it go over his head for a double, making the score 6-1.
The Padres' comeback began when Kemp doubled home two runs in the fifth to make the score 6-3.
The tide turned for San Diego on a pair of two-out rallies.
After Ryan Mattheus struck out the first two batters in the seventh, catcher Derek Norris reached on an infield hit. Mattheus then walked two batters to load the bases.
Alonso launched a 3-2 pitch from left-hander Tony Cingrani into the right-center field stands for his second career grand slam, tying the score 7-7.
After Alonso's slam, Reds manager Bryan Price was animated during a meeting on the mound with Cingrani and again in the dugout between innings.
Price's tirade didn't prevent San Diego from orchestrating another two-out rally in the eighth, capped by Kemp's bases-loaded single to drive home two runs and give the Padres a 9-7 lead.
Cincinnati pitchers walked five batters in the two innings and three scored.
NOTES: After another successful batting practice session on Saturday, Padres OF Wil Myers took a flight to Las Vegas, where he will begin a three-game rehabilitation stint with Triple-A El Paso. Myers has missed 23 games because of left wrist tendinitis. He is expected to play center field and first base during his rehab stint. ... Padres RHP Tyson Ross, who posted his third victory of the season Friday night, traveled to Washington D.C. on Saturday afternoon to watch his younger brother, Joe, make his major league debut for the Nationals. Ross was expected to rejoin the club on Saturday evening. ... Reds manager Bryan Price said veteran RHP Jason Marquis, who was designated for assignment on Friday, wasn't offered a spot in the bullpen. "It was an organizational decision," Price said. "Hopefully, there's an opportunity with another ballclub for him to pitch as a starter." Marquis posted a 6.46 ERA in nine starts with Cincinnati. ... The Reds had lost six of seven meetings with San Diego dating to last season.