 CINCINNATI (AP) - Adam Dunn hit Cincinnati's first grand slam of the season, and the Reds kept Greg Maddux in the longest winless streak of his sterling career by beating the San Diego Padres 9-5 on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old Maddux hasn't won since May 10, going 14 starts without a victory. He was thwarted again on Wednesday with an assist by the Padres' defense and bullpen.
Maddux left the game with a 3-2 lead in the sixth after giving up an unearned run. Edwin Encarnacion hit the first pitch by Cla Meredith (0-3) for a two-run homer that put the Reds ahead, dooming Maddux to another empty outing. He's 0-5 with nine no-decisions and a 4.54 ERA since his last victory.
Bronson Arroyo (9-7) won his fifth consecutive start by holding the Padres to three runs in seven innings. It's the longest consecutive-win streak by a Cincinnati pitcher since Steve Parris won seven in a row in 2000.
San Diego loaded the bases off Todd Coffey in the ninth, but struggling closer Francisco Cordero came on and walked Jody Gerut to force in a run with two outs. Cordero retired pinch-hitter Scott Hairston on a fly ball for his 21st save in 27 chances.
The Reds hit three homers in all, including Dunn's eighth career grand slam in the seventh inning off left-hander Joe Thatcher that made it 9-3.  The Padres lost two of three in the series and traded left-hander Randy Wolf to Houston on Tuesday, underscoring their hopeless situation. San Diego has lost eight of nine.
The final game of the series featured a high-profile matchup: Maddux, who has 350 career wins and four Cy Young awards, against Ken Griffey Jr., who has 606 homers and All-Century honors. Maddux held Griffey to a harmless single in three at-bats.
Javier Valentin was another matter.
Valentin had a single and a solo homer, leaving him 11-for-28 in his career with five homers off Maddux. Still, the right-hander was on track to get his breakthrough win until the defense let him down. Maddux caught Brandon Phillips straying too far from second base with one out in the sixth, but shortstop Khalil Greene dropped the ball during a rundown, allowing Phillips to take third.
When Dunn followed with a run-scoring single, Maddux was finished. One pitch later, so was his chance for a victory. Encarnacion's homer off Meredith was his sixth in the last 11 games.
Gerut opened the game with a homer off Arroyo, and Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a two-run shot for a 3-1 lead in the sixth. Kousmanoff is 6-for-9 career off Arroyo.
Notes:@ The Padres called up LHP Wil Ledezma from Triple-A Portland to take Wolf's roster spot. ... Gerut's leadoff homer was his first of his career and the fourth this season by the Padres. ... Maddux is 24-16 against the Reds in 55 career starts. He hasn't lost to them since Sept. 12, 2005, going 6-0 with two no-decisions since. ... RHP Josh Fogg will miss his scheduled start on Friday. Fogg was hit in the face by a batted ball during batting practice on Tuesday night. He needed 30 stitches for a split upper lip. ... Reds rookie Jay Bruce extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games. |