McCoy: Stephenson’s 9th inning home run lifts Reds to 4-2 victory in San Diego

For eight innings, the game resembled the same game the Reds lost Monday night in 10 innings, 4-3.

On Monday, the Reds hit a couple of home runs early for a 3-0 lead, then permitted the Padres to tie it in one inning and win it in extra innings.

On Tuesday, Sal Stewart and Will Benson hit early home runs for a 2-0 lead, then the Padres tied it in one inning, 2-2.

And after Benson’s second inning home run, 22 of the next 24 Reds made outs. A single and a walk were the only baserunners when they came to bat in the ninth.

Robert Suarez, one of baseball’s best closers, retired the first two Reds in the ninth. But he walked Gavin Lux on four pitches. That was fortunate for the Reds because Lux was 4 for 54 for his career in Petco.

Suarez went to 2-and-1 on Stephenson and offered a 99 miles an hour fastball and Stephenson crushed if off the Western Metal Supply Building that stands inside Petco down the left field line.

In the fourth inning, San Diego right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. went above the wall to snag Stephenson’s home run bid. So this time Stephenson went to left field.

And it was personal redemption for Stephenson. He was the first batter Monday in the 10th inning and failed to move the ghost runner from second to third by grounding out to shortstop, also against Suarez.

“I had to redeem myself from when I faced him last night,” Stephenson told reporters after the game. “I didn’t really get the job done last night, which was a heartbreaker. So there was a little extra motivation there trying to get redemption.”

Said Manager Tito Francona, “He deserved that. He hit that ball so hard to right field (that Tatis caught). How many times have we said if you drive the ball to right field you feel OK. And he turned on a pretty good fastball.”

All the other contributions came from unusual participants.

Francona gave first baseman Spencer Steer and right fielder Noelvi Marte the night off. And their stand-ins, Stewart and Benson, hit home runs to give the Reds the 2-0 lead.

Starting pitcher Zack Littell is usually chocolate pudding for the Padres. Their starting lineup Tuesday owned a combined .338 batting average for their career against him.

But he pitched five innings and gave up two runs, two hits and a walk over six innings. His only blip was in the fifth. He issued his only walk, a full-count pass to Ramon Laureano to open the inning.

Jackson Merrill, whose two-run triple tied Monday’s game, tripled again to score Laureano and Jake Cronenworth’s sacrifice fly tied it, 2-2.

Littlell pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, then turned it over two of the youngest members of the bullpen, Zach Maxwell and Connor Phillips, two pitchers not accustomed to high-leverage situations.

Maxwell gave up a one-out double to Merrill, but retired the other three. One of the outs was a strikeout of Luis Arraez on three pitches, the last a 101 miles an hour fastball. Arraez is the toughest player in MLB to strike out.

Phillips issued a one-out walk in the eighth and a stolen base, but retired the other three hitters, two on strikeouts.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

After Stephenson’s home run, closer Emilio Pagan, pitching for the fourth time in five games, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Merrill to end it for his 27th save.

With the New York Mets losing again, the Reds crept to within three games in the wild card chase, a game behind the San Francisco Giants, who are only two games behind the Mets.

Stewart, batting second, blasted his home run in the first inning, a 419-footer to straightaway center. His childhood idol, a player he met in Miami when he was 11 years old, Manny Machado, was playing third base.

When Stewart was signed by the Reds, Machado promised him a Rolex watch when he made the majors. Machado made good and presented a Rolex to Stewart when the Reds reached San Diego.

As Stewart passed Machado on his home run trot, he pointed to his wrist and Machado smiled.

“I kinda blacked out a little bit,” said Stewart. “That was a great moment for sure. I can’t remember what happened, I just blacked out. It was a surreal moment. I’ll never forget that.

“Manny just looked at me and nodded his head a little bit,” he added. “I was just laughing and I was just messing with him a little bit. He found it funny, for sure.”

Then he turned serious.

“This was great, but the job’s not done,” he said. “We gotta go out there and win another game tomorrow. This feels great, for sure, but tomorrow’s a new day and we got to go out and win the series. We enjoy tonight, but tomorrow we’re on another mission.”

Benson’s homer came in the second but he was involved in more dramatics in the bottom of the second when former Reds shortstop Jose Iglesias lined one to deep right.

Benson ran full speed and left his feet to snag the ball against the wall. He crashed into the wall and crumpled to the ground, clutching the baseball.

He lay there for several minutes before being helped off the field, but the guy is so tough he wouldn’t back away from a chainsaw and stayed in the game.

“He’s a fast healer,” said Francona.

Of the performances by Maxwell and Phillips, Francona said, “That made the night kinda fun. Sometimes with younger guys, you don’t know what you’re going to get and it can create some anxiety.

“But them pitching in that situation and coming through, it’s great for them. And it’s great for us. And it was fun to watch‘em compete because they didn’t back down.”

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