Tyler Stephenson lined a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday night, snapping a tie and lifting the visiting Cincinnati Reds to a 4-2 win over the San Diego Padres.
Gavin Lux drew a two-out walk off Robert Suarez (4-6) before Stephenson ripped his 10th homer of the year into the left field seats, enabling Cincinnati (73-72) to pull within three games of the New York Mets for the National League’s final wild-card spot.
Connor Phillips (2-0) worked a scoreless eighth inning and Emilio Pagan registered his 27th save of the season with a clean ninth. Four Reds pitchers teamed to limit San Diego (79-66) to three hits.
The Padres fell two games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers (81-64) in the NL West.
The main storyline prior to first pitch was the return of San Diego right-hander Michael King, making his first start in a month after being sidelined by left knee inflammation following his Aug. 9 start against Boston. A thoracic nerve problem shelved him from mid-May until that outing.
King pitched well but made two mistake pitches in the first two innings. Sal Stewart drilled a middle-middle fastball over the center field wall in the first inning for his second homer of the year, and Will Benson clouted his 10th homer well over the right field wall in the second.
Cincinnati starter Zack Littell nursed the 2-0 lead into the fifth before the Padres equalized. Ramon Laureano coaxed a leadoff walk and sprinted home from first when Jackson Merrill lined a triple to right, his second run-scoring three-bagger in as many nights. Littell plunked Jose Iglesias before yielding a game-tying sacrifice fly to Jake Cronenworth.
Merrill doubled with one out in the seventh but was stranded there as pinch hitter Luis Arraez fanned and Cronenworth flied out.
Neither starter figured into the decision despite good outings. Littell permitted just two hits and two runs in six innings with a walk and four strikeouts. King gave up three hits and two runs in five innings, walking one and fanning two.
