SAN DIEGO — The Cincinnati Reds are feeling pretty good about themselves as the All-Star break approaches.
The Reds, whose bats were dormant for most of their longest road trip of the season, used homers from Drew Stubbs and Chris Heisey to back pitcher Homer Bailey for a 6-5 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night.
Cincinnati evened its record at 5-5 on its season-high 11-game road trip with its second straight win.
“This is a great way for us to end this trip,” rookie Todd Frazier said. “We win out (Sunday) and it gives us a winning trip and a chance to go into the break on a good note.”
The Reds also got another solid outing from their starting pitcher — in this case, Bailey. Cincinnati starters have posted a 1.81 ERA on the first 11 games of the trip.
“When we come out here on the road and the rotation throws like it does,” Bailey said, “good things happen.”
Added Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker: “You need that some time. It keeps your bullpen strong and each guy feeds off each other.”
The Reds, who scored three runs or less on six of the first nine games of the homestand, have scored six runs in each of the last two games, including hitting five home runs.
“You struggle some times, but with us we don’t put our heads down,” Frazier said. “We understand we have the bats to get the job done.”
Frazier, who has been filling in for injured third baseman Scott Rolen the past seven games, has played a big part in the Reds’ offense. In Rolen’s absence, Frazier is hitting.440 (11 for 25) with two homers and seven RBIs.
Stubbs, who snapped an 0-for-32 hitless streak Friday night, homered in the first inning. Heisey, who drove in Cincinnati’s only run in San Diego’s 2-1 win Thursday night, hit a two-run shot in the seventh inning.
The Reds homered three times in Friday night’s 6-0 victory. Cincinnati had hit just two homers in its six games before Friday.
Bailey (7-6) allowed a leadoff home run to Chris Denorfia on his first pitch.
“I didn’t expect him to jump on the first pitch,” Bailey said about the 91 mph fastball.
Bailey then settled down and surrendered only a pair of unearned runs heading into the seventh.
“Homer was going great, but he was running out of gas,” Baker said.
The right-hander gave up four runs on seven hits in 6 2-3 innings. Bailey struck out eight and did not walk a batter, and also contributed with an RBI double.
All-Star Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth for his 10th save in 14 chances.
“We had some good swings,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “Our guys were looking (for a) fastball. That was just pure heat.”
San Diego cut Cincinnati’s lead to 6-5 in the eighth inning on Logan Forsythe’s RBI single against Sean Marshall and loaded the bases with two outs. But Logan Ondrusek came on to retire Denorfia on a fly ball to center field.
“That was a big, big out to get Denorfia, who has been one of the hottest hitters lately,” Baker said.
Forsythe had three hits and two RBIs for San Diego, which lost its second straight after winning a season-high six straight games.
Chase Headley extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Carlos Quentin had an RBI single for San Diego to snap an 0-for-21 streak.
Clayton Richard (6-9), one of baseball’s hottest pitchers recently, got knocked out after allowed three straight hits to open the seventh, including Heisey’s homer. He gave up six runs on eight hits. The left-hander was 4-1 with a 1.70 ERA in his previous five outings and had yielded two runs or fewer in seven of his last 10 starts.
Frazier led off the Cincinnati fifth with a double and went to third on Heisey’s single. Devin Mesoraco brought home one run on a groundout and Bailey doubled in another run with a line drive over Denorfia’s head in right field for a 3-1 lead.
San Diego scored unearned runs in the fifth and sixth to tie the game at 3.
Frazier singled to open the seventh before Heisey’s third home run. After Mesoraco’s single, Dale Thayer replaced Richard. Mesoraco came around to score on Stubbs’ groundout.
Notes: Bailey is 5-0 with a 2.02 ERA in his last six road starts. … Headley’s 12-game hitting streak ties Denorfia for longest streak by a Padres player this season. … Rolen is ready to play, but Baker wanted to give him one more day to rest his back spasms, which has kept him off the field since he left last Sunday’s game in the first inning. Baker said part of the reason to give Rolen another day off is the play of Frazier. In the seven games since Rolen left, Frazier is batting .440 (11 for 25) with two homers and seven RBIs. Baker said Rolen will start Sunday. … Cincinnati’s starting rotation after the All-Star break will be RHP Mat Latos, RHP Mike Leake, RHP Johnny Cueto, RHP Bronson Arroyo and Bailey. … Kara Patterson, 2012 U.S. Olympian and American javelin record holder, and actor Charlie Sheen each threw out a first pitch. Sheen’s pitch was thrown to the tune of “Wild Thing,” the nickname of his character, Rick Vaughn, in the 1989 movie, “Major League.” … Cueto (9-5, 2.35) will face Padres RHP Jason Marquis (1-4, 3.49) on Sunday in the series finale.
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