Reds 7, Padres 3
SAN DIEGO -- James Shields balked home the decisive run and rookie starter Raisel Iglesias retired 16 straight batters after serving up a three-run homer to Matt Kemp in the first inning on Wednesday afternoon as the Cincinnati Reds posted a 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park to avoid being swept in the three-game series.
Reds first baseman Joey Votto was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in the ninth inning off Padres left-handed reliever Frank Garces. Votto's 20th homer of the season carried 404 feet. He scored three runs and stole a base.
Right fielder Jay Bruce had a two-run triple for the Reds.
Iglesias (3-4) allowed three runs, three hits and a walk in six innings and didn't permit a baserunner after the first inning.
Shields (8-5) has lost five of his last six decisions after starting the season 7-0 -- and the Padres have lost 10 of the last 12 games he has started. The Padres are 0-6 in the third game of possible sweeps since completing their only sweep of the season May 1-3 against Colorado at Petco Park.
The game settled down after a wild start.
Cincinnati scored three times in the top of the first against Shields, marking the third time in his last four outings that he were scored upon in the first. The Padres matched Cincinnati with Kemp's three-run homer in the bottom of the first.
Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton opened the gamet by hitting a fly to left that fell in front of Padres left fielder Justin Upton for a single. Reds shortstop Eugenio Suarez was then hit by a Shields pitch.
Votto, who grounded into a double play Tuesday night in an identical situation, dropped a RBI single into right center, scoring Hamilton, who at first hesitated rounding third.
After Shields struck out third baseman Todd Frazier, Bruce hit a long high drive to center that got over the head of retreating Padres center fielder Will Venable for a two-run triple that made it 3-0.
Shields avoided further damage by striking out left fielder Marlon Byrd and retiring catcher Brayan Pena on an inning-ending grounder to second.
The Padres quicky tied the score and missed a golden opportunity to take the lead.
Iglesias hit Padres third baseman and leadoff hitter Yangervis Solarte with a pitch in the right ribs, then gave up a single to first baseman Yonder Alonso. Kemp followed with a 374-foot drive into the first rows of seats in left center for his 12th homer of the season but his first since July 24.
Upton then drew a walk, but Iglesias picked up off just ahead of catcher Derek Norris' double down the line in left. Venable grounded out to third to end the treat.
Venable was the first of 16 straight Padres retired by Iglesias, one of five rookie pitchers in the Reds' rotation, before he departed for a pinch hitter in the sixth. Iglesias allowed three runs, three hits, a walk and a hit batter with eight strikeouts in six innings.
Meanwhile, Shields balked home the go-ahead run in the top of the third.
With one out, Votto single and raced to third on Frazier's double. While pitching to Bruce, Shields made a motion to third but didn't throw the ball, allowing Votto to score on the balk.
Bruce walked and stole second. But Shields struck out Byrd (for the second time) and second baseman Ivan De Jesus (after intentionally walking Pena) to get out of the inning and start a run of 10 straight Reds retired before Brandon Phillips singled against Shields to open the seventh while pinch hitting for Iglesias.
After two walks sandwiching a sacrifice bunt, Phillips scored on a sacrifice fly by Frazier against right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley.
Shields allowed five runs, six hits and four walks (two intentional) with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
NOTES: The Padres had a 4-2 margin in the season series against the Reds. ... About 200 friends and members of Colin Rea's family were at Petco Park from Cascade, Iowa, (population 2,200) for his major league debut on Tuesday night. After getting the win, in addition to his first major league hit, Rea spent more than a half hour posing for pictures down the right field line with his party. ... Reds manager Bryan Price said he could soon move rookie RHP Michael Lorenzen to the bullpen as a way to limit his innings rather than shut him down in September. He said several other rookie starting pitchers could face a similar limit. ... Padres manager Pat Murphy said INF Cory Spangenberg, who has been on the disabled list since the end of June with a bone bruise to his left knee, is close to returning from his rehab assignment.