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Reds try to even set with Padres

Jul 1, 2014 - 2:49 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Cincinnati Reds were cooled off in the series opener against the San Diego Padres and look to even the three-game set Tuesday at Petco Park.

The Reds entered Monday's game with a 14-4 record since June 11 and were riding a season-high five-game winning streak. However, the Padres squeezed out a 1-0 win last night on a sacrifice fly by Everth Cabrera in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Tommy Medica had the only hit for the Padres with a single in the second inning and later scored on Cabrera's flyout.

Reds starting pitcher Mat Latos was the hard-luck loser and gave up the only run of the game in seven innings on the hill. He struck out four and walked one against his former team.

"That's what makes baseball a great game and in this case a painful game," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We didn't put too much pressure on them offensively and they were able to get the job done."

It marked the first time since Sept. 12, 1950 (vs. Brooklyn Dodgers) that the Reds lost a game when giving up one hit.

Cincinnati, which was coming off a four-game weekend sweep in San Francisco and went 11-4 on the road in June, is 6-2 on a 10-game road trip and has won five straight series. The club hopes Mike Leake can keep up his recent dominance on the mound when he takes the ball Tuesday. Leake has won three straight starts and is 4-2 in his past six decisions.

Leake has allowed one run in eight innings in back-to-back outings and struck out 12 with one walk in last Thursday's 3-1 victory at San Francisco. Leake is 6-6 with a 3.41 ERA and 4-2 in nine road starts. The right-hander is winless (0-1) in four career starts against the Padres with a 2.66 ERA.

The Padres aim to play spoiler again versus the Reds and take the series with another win Tuesday.

Jesse Hahn struck out nine batters and walked two in five scoreless innings for his fourth win (4-1) and four relievers combined for four shutout innings to preserve the win. Huston Street worked around a hit in the ninth for his 22nd save.

"I was just on page with (catcher Yasmani Grandal)," Hahn said. "He gave me some good signs in some good situations and I executed the pitches."

The Friars have won two straight after a three-game slide and have a 7-5 mark in the last 12 games. They opened this nine-game homestand with two losses in three tries versus Arizona.

San Diego hopes to produce some more runs and has scored no more than two in each of the last five games (5 total). The Padres didn't score any the last time Ian Kennedy took the hill and he gets the call Tuesday. In a 4-0 loss at San Francisco last Wednesday, Kennedy was reached for all four runs in 6 1/3 innings and outdueled by Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum, who walked one and fanned six for a no-hitter.

"The curveball was all right and the change came around later," Kennedy said. "But they have a good lineup over there."

Kennedy has given up 16 runs in his past four outings. He is 0-3 in his last four trips to the mound and 5-9 overall with a 4.01 earned run average. The right-hander and former All-Star is 2-5 in nine home starts and 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA in five career starts against Cincinnati.

The Padres defeated the Reds twice in three tries back in mid-May and the two clubs split six meetings a season ago.