Nick Lodolo gave up a leadoff homer Monday night, then didn’t allow another hit in seven dominant innings as the visiting Cincinnati Reds stopped the San Diego Padres 5-2 in the opener of a three-game series.

Lodolo (3-0) walked two and struck out 11, throwing 68 of his 99 pitches for strikes. He finished his night in style, fanning Ha-Seong Kim with a curveball to end perhaps the best game of his career. Lodolo retired the last 18 men he faced after walking Xander Bogaerts and Kim to open the second.

Matt Waldron (1-3) permitted six hits and four runs in six innings, walking none and striking out four, as San Diego dropped its fifth straight game.

Elly De La Cruz got Cincinnati off to a fast start. The game’s second batter got a fat 0-2 sinker over the middle of the plate from Waldron and blasted it 443 feet to left-center, the ball landing in the San Diego bullpen. It was De La Cruz’s eighth homer of the year.

Jurickson Profar responded with the Padres’ one bit of offensive glory in the first 8 2/3 innings. He hooked a pitch on the outside corner over the left field wall for his fourth homer of the year.

The Reds took the lead for good in the second with two runs. After Nick Martini singled with one out and Jeimer Candelario doubled, Santiago Espinal lofted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Martini. On the play, Candelario advanced to third, and he subsequently scored on a balk by Waldron.

Cincinnati made it 4-1 in the third when Will Benson led off with a double, then scored one out later when Spencer Steer golfed a low knuckleball down the left field line for an RBI double. Espinal added insurance with a two-out single in the ninth that plated Martini.

San Diego managed a two-out run in the ninth via Manny Machado’s RBI single that scored Jake Cronenworth. The Padres got the tying run to the plate, but Alexis Diaz fanned Kim to end it.

–Field Level Media