Reds Score 7 Unanswered Runs to Beat Padres 7-3

Rookie Juan Brito hit his first career home run, JJ Bleday and Héctor Rodríguez also went deep, and the Cincinnati Reds scored seven unanswered runs to beat the San Diego Padres 7-3 on Wednesday.

Cincinnati (67-73) sits six games back of Arizona and San Diego for the third and final NL wild-card spot after the win. The Diamondbacks were set to host the Phillies, the top wild card, later Wednesday.

Brito hit a game-tying, three-run shot into the right-field seats in the third inning. Two batters later, Rodríguez added a solo homer to give Cincinnati the lead. Rodríguez has five home runs in his last 10 games.

Bleday capped the scoring in the seventh with his 22nd homer of the season, a two-run, 416-foot drive that helped the Reds clinch the three-game series. Matt McLain added an RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Brandon Williamson (3-3) pitched a season-best 5 1/3 innings for Cincinnati, striking out five and allowing three runs on seven hits. Pierce Johnson, Tejay Antone, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagán combined to pitch hitless relief to seal the win.

Ty France gave San Diego a 2-0 lead in the first inning with his 20th home run of the season, and Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in the Padres' final run in the second with an RBI single.

Casey Mize (5-9) threw four innings for the Padres, allowing four runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Since being traded from the Detroit Tigers on August 3, Mize has allowed 20 earned runs and struck out 15 in 27 innings pitched for San Diego.

The Padres send right-hander Walker Buehler (8-6, 4.66 ERA) to the mound Friday to open a three-game series against the New York Yankees. The Reds counter with right-hander Rhett Lowder (6-8, 5.14 ERA) in the opener of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers.