CINCINNATI — The Padres scored nine runs between the sixth and seventh innings and emphatically halted their longest losing streak of the season at six games with a 12-5 victory over the Reds on Saturday.
Juan Soto and Manny Machado hit home runs in a four-run sixth inning, and Machado homered again in a five-run seventh that saw the Padres send 10 runners to the plate.
Soto finished with four RBIs, while Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado drove in three runs apiece.
The Padres’ biggest two-inning burst of the season gave them sufficient cushion to survive another rough outing by Luis García, who walked two batters and surrendered Jonathan India’s seventh-inning grand slam.
Michael Wacha, pitching for the first time in 12 days, allowed a run in five innings and got the win when the Padres scored four runs immediately after he departed.
Tom Cosgrove worked a scoreless sixth inning, and Tim Hill and Brent Honeywell followed García with scoreless innings.
The Reds got a one-out double in the first inning and a leadoff double in the second against Wacha, who had experienced shoulder fatigue after his June 19 start. Wacha (8-2, 2.84) escaped the first with a groundout and strikeout. He got out of the second with two running catches by center fielder Trent Grisham and catcher Austin Nola throwing out Jake Fraley attempting to steal third base.
Grisham led off the third inning with a walk, stole second and scored on Tatis’ two-out double.
But Wacha paid for his own leadoff walk to Tyler Stephenson in the third. He got two outs before Matt McLain’s second double of the game, off the base of the wall in center field, scored Stephenson, who had advanced to second on a groundout.
Soto’s three-run homer put the Padres up 4-1 in the sixth, and Machado followed with a solo homer.
Pinch-hitter Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch from reliever Alec Mills to start the seventh. Grisham followed with a triple and scored on Nola’s groundout. Ha-Seong Kim reached second on a throwing error by third baseman Spencer Steer and scored on Tatis’ single. After Soto popped out, Machado reached the seats beyond left-center field for the second straight at-bat.
India’s grand slam got the Reds to within 10-5, as García allowed four or more runs for the third time this season. He finished the inning having seen his ERA swell to 5.93 in 29 appearances (27 1/3 innings).
The Padres scored their final two runs in the eighth with Grisham and Nola both getting on base when they were hit by pitches and both scoring on sacrifice flies (by Tatis and Soto).
