Enjoyably, Padres open series with a win over Reds 2

Matt Kemp led off the inning with a single and then the Padres lone All-Star, Upton, crushed Holmberg’s offering over 420 feet to make it 2-1.

Bruce is just the ninth player in Reds history to hit 200 home runs in a Cincinnati uniform.

Kennedy (7-10) was lifted after throwing 98 pitches, only 58 for strikes.

Rea (1-0) picked up the win after allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking one. The right-hander is 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA in six starts against the Reds, his lowest ERA versus any team he’s faced more than twice.

Dale Thayer, Shawn Kelley, and Joaquin Benoit each pitched a scoreless frame for San Diego while Ryan Mattheus escaped a jam in the eighth to set up a chance for the Reds against Craig Kimbrel. He became the first Padre to record a 20 home run season since the aforementioned Venable and his teammate Jedd Gyorko did it in 2013.

David Holmberg pitched well, but the Reds’ bats fell silent.

San Diego took two of three in Cincinnati from June 5-7, and Kennedy (6-10, 4.49 ERA) didn’t get the chance to appear in that series.

Said Holmberg: “It was pretty close to where I wanted it. He put a good swing on it and thumped it out to center. I think he’s handled himself very well”.

In the top of the fourth, Padres interim manager Pat Murphy earned his first major league ejection.

Their skid hitting six games has many around town declaring the Padres’ season over. Derek Norris ripped a double down the line that barely bounded past an outstretched Todd Frazier at 3B. Murphy was tossed by plate umpire Tony Randazzo for arguing balls and strikes as Kennedy loaded the bases with two walks and a single by Brayan Pena.

Kennedy got Suarez to fly out, one of two times in the first four innings that he stranded three runners.

OF Billy Hamilton has swiped seven bases in his last eight attempts, but is getting on base at just a. 240 clip.

“It was a constant grind, ” Kennedy said. He ranks ninth on the Reds’ career list. Catcher Tim Federowicz was reinstated from the DL and outrighted to Triple-A El Paso. His major league debut will probably determine if he stays or heads back to the minors.