Pesky Padres perpetuate prominence over Reds, win series opener 5-4

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Jesse Winker kablammed a 2-run homer off San Diego Padres reliever Nabil Crismatt, and it was the kind of sequence you won’t soon forget once you see it. For that, the Cincinnati Reds LF and presumptive NL All Star starter gets some dap - he added a walk on the night for good measure, too.

Unfortunately, it just wasn’t quite enough.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Joey Votto, who had a pair of hits and scored a run; Shogo Akiyama, who had a pair of hits and drove in a run; Brad Brach, who fanned a pair in a scoreless IP; and Art Warren, who fanned a pair in 1.2 scoreless IP.

Key Plays

• Tony Santillan ran into a heap o’ trouble in the Top of the 1st, as Jake Cronenworth bashed a ribbie triple and later scored, too. Reds trailed early, 2-0.
• The Reds rookies got a run back in the Bottom of the 1st off Craig Stammen, however. Jonathan India led off with a single and eventually busted tail into scoring position to be able to score on Tyler Stephenson’s single. Reds trailed, 2-1.
• Tommy Pham then entered the scene, sac-flying Eric Hosmer across the plate in the Top of the 2nd to make it a 3-1 game before bashing a solo dinger over the wall in right center in the Top of the 4th to make it a 4-1 affair. That dinger came off reliever Ryan Hendrix, who later had another run charged to him after Trent Grisham slapped an RBI single in the 4th, too. Reds trailed, 5-1.
• Votto’s single in the Bottom of the 4th got the Reds back on track, though. He moved up to 2B on a Kyle Farmer single, and later scored on Shogo’s ribbie single into RF (after a quick replay overturn). Reds trailed, 5-2.
• It got to be 5-4 in a jiffy, however, as Winker smoked a 2-run whole hog into the seats under the power stacks in the Bottom of the 5th, plating both himself and India, who had been hit by a pitch in front of him.
• That was it, however. Reds lost, 5-4.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Blake Snell was originally scheduled to start this one for the Padres, but was scratched prior to the beginning with an illness.
• This one was delayed by 52 minutes due to rain, too.
• Tomorrow’s contest between these two clubs will also begin at 7:10 PM ET, weather permitting. It will feature Joe Musgrove on the bump for the Friars opposite Reds starter Vlad Gutierrez.
• Tunes.