CINCINNATI — For the third time in four days, the Padres turned to the back end of their bullpen to get them safely through the latter innings of a game.
For the third time, it did not work out.
The Reds scored two runs against Adrian Morejón in the eighth inning and then survived Fernando Tatis Jr.’s second home run of the game in the ninth to hold on for a 4-3 victory.
That is one blown save and/or loss for each of the Padres’ three highest-leverage relievers — Morejón, Bradgley Rodriguez and Mason Miller — in the past four games.
Tuesday’s finish was not quite the stunner the two blown leads over the weekend against the Rays had been.
On Saturday, the Padres lost for the just fourth time in 61 games in which they led in the seventh inning. On Sunday, they lost for the first time in 60 games in which they led after eight innings.
This game was merely tied, and the Padres had little right winning it.
Only technically was it the eighth inning that doomed the Padres.
“We had chances to put a few more runs early on the board and build a little bit of a lead and be able to go to our bullpen the way we wanted to,” manager Craig Stammen said. “We just weren’t able to execute in some of those situations, and then it made the game a lot tighter and gave them a chance to score some runs there in the eighth.”
Yes, missed opportunities aplenty were what did in the Padres on Tuesday, as they went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
And it felt worse than that.
They got a runner in scoring position with less than two outs in the second, third and fourth innings but did not score while going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
That included when Jase Bowen led off the third inning with a triple lined to left center and the Padres loaded the bases with one out before Ty France grounded into a double play.
“We’ve got to execute in those moments,” said Tatis, who grounded out with Bowen at third base and was 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. “And we have been lately. But obviously today we fell short, and we’ve just got to get better and cleaner on it.”
Somehow, Reds starter Nick Lodolo lasted six innings and allowed just two runs.
It was just the third time the left-hander got that deep in a game without allowing at least three runs in 17 starts this season. He had surrendered 10 runs in 7⅓ innings over his previous two starts, raising his ERA to 5.24 for the season.
But it was nothing new for Lodolo against the Padres.
He entered the game with a 2.01 ERA in four starts against them and had allowed one run in two of his past three starts against them.
But this was a tough one to justify.
On a stifling night, when the 92 degrees it was at first pitch felt far grosser than it sounds, the Padres made Lodolo work.
But they converted just the first of their two triples in the first three innings into a run.
In the first inning, Samad Taylor battled back from an 0-2 count to hit the eighth pitch he saw to the gap in left center and sprinted around the first two bases and slid into third ahead of the throw.
Manny Machado drove him in with a sacrifice fly to right field, which would be the last time the Padres converted any such scoring opportunity.
The Reds are the worst team in the major leagues with runners in scoring position. They were 0-for-7 in that situation on Monday.
But they tied the game in the bottom of the first when JJ Bleday’s single through the right side drove in Héctor Rodriguez, who had led off the inning with a double.
Tatis’ first home run, lined over the wall in right field, put the Padres ahead 2-1.
Randy Vásquez had matched Lodolo and arguably outdueled him through four innings, allowing just three hits and a run. But a double by No.9 batter Edwin Arroyo and single by Rodriguez with two outs made it 2-2 in the fifth.
With the three back-end relievers rested, Stammen removed Vásquez and brought in his Rodriguez.
The rookie right-hander stranded the Reds’ Rodriguez at second, where he had advanced on the throw home to try to get Arroyo at the plate, and then got through the sixth inning before Yuki Matsui handled the seventh.
Morejón walked Elly De La Cruz to start the eighth. After Sal Stewart singled, Morejón retired Bleday on a grounder before issuing an intentional walk to Matt McLain to load the bases. A single by Jose Trevino and sacrifice fly by Juan Brito put the Reds up 4-2.
After pinch-hitters Sung-Mun Song and Jake Cronenworth flied out, Tatis sent his second homer to right field on a 2-0 fastball down the middle from Reds closer Emilio Pagan before Taylor struck out.
“Obviously not enough to win a ballgame,” Tatis said after homering twice for the third time in 13 games, “which is the most important thing right here.”