Career day for Brett Sullivan as Padres blast Reds

Reserve catcher Brett Sullivan drove in the first four runs of his Major League career with his first double and homer, and Juan Soto added a bases-clearing double Wednesday afternoon as the San Diego Padres defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-1 in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Padres starter Seth Lugo (3-2) held the Reds to one run on seven hits over seven innings to earn the win. The right-hander issued two walks and had five strikeouts.

Sullivan, a rookie who entered the game with two singles in 13 at-bats in six Padres games, batted ninth in the lineup. He hit a double in the second to drive in the game's first two runs and added a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 4-0.

Soto's three-run double came in the sixth inning to answer a solo homer by the Reds' Spencer Steer in the top of the inning.

Jake Cronenworth led off the Padres second with a single off Cincinnati starter Luis Cessa and moved to second on a walk drawn by Ha-Seong Kim. After Rougned Odor flew out, Sullivan pulled a line drive just inside the first-base bag.

After Cronenworth singled in the fourth, the Reds failed to turn a double play on Odor's grounder to second. Sullivan then homered on the first pitch he saw from left-handed reliever Alex Young on a 380-foot drive to right center.

Soto's double came off reliever Casey Legumina after the Padres had loaded the bases on singles by Odor and Trent Grisham and a walk drawn by Fernando Tatis Jr.

Grisham had three of the Padres 10 hits against seven Cincinnati pitchers. Cronenworth and Sullivan had two hits apiece while Soto's double followed walks in his first three plate appearances.

Cessa was charged with three runs on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings.