Norris' 3-run shot keys Padres' win over Reds
CINCINNATI -- Derek Norris hit a three-run home run and Matt Kemp added a solo shot, lifting the San Diego Padres to a 7-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night at Great American Ball Park.
The Padres trailed 4-3 in the seventh before Norris connected for his three-run shot off J.C. Ramirez. It was the 54th home run allowed by the Reds' bullpen this season.
Melvin Upton Jr. went 2-for-4 and scored twice for San Diego (31-43). The Padres improved to 13-21 on the road this season.
Both starting pitchers fell victim to elevated pitch counts.
Reds right-hander John Lamb failed to pitch past the sixth inning for the sixth time in nine starts, allowing four earned runs over 102 pitches in 5 1/3 innings.
Padres right-hander Christian Friedrich (4-2) couldn't recover from a lengthy third inning, and he tossed 101 pitches and gave up four runs over five innings. However, the bullpen shut the door on the Reds' offense to earn him a victory.
Fernando Rodney, who allowed his first earned run this season in his previous outing, pitched the ninth for his 16th save.
Travis Jankowski, starting in place of the injured Jon Jay, provided some insurance for the Padres with an RBI single in the ninth inning. He drove home Adam Rosales, who had doubled.
Ramirez (1-3) took the loss after yielding two runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Cincinnati (28-45) hasn't won a season series against San Diego since 2012 and is 6-13 against the Padres since then.
Friedrich needed 39 pitches to get through the second inning and escape a bases-loaded jam. He wasn't as fortunate in the next inning.
Cincinnati began the third with three straight hits, including consecutive doubles by Zack Cozart and Billy Hamilton and an RBI single by Brandon Phillips.
Adam Duvall's 21st homer, a two-run shot, made it 4-1. He leads all major league left fielders in homers. All four runs and four of the six hits allowed by Friedrich came in the third.
San Diego got a run back in the fourth when Kemp led off with his 16th home run. Yangervis Solarte's RBI single in the sixth sliced the deficit to 4-3, and Solarte and Upton scored on Norris' homer.
NOTES: Reds 1B Joey Votto again was out of the lineup Thursday after missing two straight games due to a stomach virus. He struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth. ... Reds RHP Homer Bailey, who hasn't pitched since April 2015 after elbow surgery, will begin a rehabilitation assignment Monday at Triple-A Louisville. He's expected to make up to five rehab appearances to get stretched out to 90-100 pitches. ... Padres CF Jon Jay was out of the lineup. He's day to day after being hit by a pitch on Sunday. Travis Jankowski started in center.