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Dunn's late blast ends Reds' four-game slide

May 24, 2008 - 6:51 AM By Tim Powers PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - Adam Dunn belted a go-ahead, solo home run in the top of the ninth Friday, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Dunn broke a 2-2 stalemate when he sent a 3-1 pitch from baseball's all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman (0-3), into the right-field seats.

"The thing about (Hoffman) is you have to make him get it up," Dunn said. "Everybody knows about his changeup, but he probably gets more people out with his fastball. The guy has been doing what he does for so many years and, if he makes his pitch, I roll over it. It didn't happen tonight."

"Falling behind in that situation is always going to put you in a bit of a hole," Hoffman said. "I definitely tried to get back in the count by throwing strikes. I got one up and he deposited it."

David Weathers (2-3) struck out the only batter he faced in the eighth to notch the victory. Reds closer Francisco Cordero worked around a two-out walk in the ninth for his 10th save in 11 chances.

Dunn's blast ended the Reds' four-game slide and also made sure that starter Edinson Volquez's career-high 12-strikeout effort did not go to waste.

"I had all my pitches working today," Volquez said. "I felt better than I did in my last start. I threw a lot of pitches in the first but I was better every inning after that."

The rookie righthander, who went six innings, allowed his only run and one of his two hits in the fifth when Jody Gerut's two-out double plated Luke Carlin for a 1-0 lead.

While a 29-minute rain delay stopped the action in the top of the fifth, both starting pitchers - Volquez and the Padres' Shawn Estes - stayed in the game when play resumed.

"I was concerned when the rain came and they started delaying the game," bench coach Chris Speier said. "(Volquez) said he felt great. He was inside just tossing lightly, keeping loose and keeping the feeling. He didn't miss a beat when he went back out."

Estes held up his end of the deal, allowing two runs and three hits with four walks and five strikeouts over six frames.

"I thought Shawn threw the ball great," Padres manager Bud Black said. "It got away from him in the seventh. His command was so good, but he couldn't seem to hone it in. But what he did in the first six innings was pretty impressive."

The Reds knotted the score at 1-1 when Paul Bako's RBI groundout plated Dunn and took the lead as Javier Valentin's pinch-hit single pushed across another run. But San Diego answered in the bottom of the frame when Scott Hairston doubled home Khalil Greene to even the score at 2-2.

The game remained deadlocked until Hoffman surrendered his third home run of the season.

"It's nice to get a win (at Petco Park)," said Speier, who managed his first game in the majors in place of the suspended Dusty Baker. "Dunn picked us up there. It was huge."