The San Diego Padres traveled to Great American Ballpark to face the Cincinnati Reds and finish the road trip after taking a crucial three of four from the Braves in Atlanta.

Despite a hot start to the year, the Reds have struggled in May. Since April 30, Cincinnati owns the worst record in baseball (3-15) and the lowest average runs per game (2.83)

However, the Padres bats went quiet as San Diego fell to the Reds 2-0

For Padres skipper Mike Shildt, right-hander Joe Musgrove returned from the 15-day injured list. In his last start before going on the shelf, Musgrove faced the Reds and turned in the best performance of his otherwise disappointing season (6.73 ERA) with a quality start.

On the other end, southpaw Andrew Abbott got the nod from Reds manager David Bell and silenced the San Diego offense in his seven shutout frames. At the end of his line, the hurler allowed just four hits, all of which were singles.

After Musgrove escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first, Cincinnati plated Jonathan India for their first run in the second with a sacrifice fly. Elly De La Cruz followed with an RBI double that scored Will Benson and gave the Reds a 2-0 lead.

Musgrove departed after three innings in which he allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Left-hander Adrián Morejón took over in the fourth inning and worked two scoreless frames for San Diego. Then Jhony Brito worked 1.2 scoreless innings before Shildt went to southpaw Yuki Matsui with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

With a new opportunity after Abbott’s departure, the Friar offense remained quiet in the eighth. Luis Arráez blooped a single to bring the tying run to the plate in Fernando Tatis Jr., who struck out swinging to end the frame. 

The Padres went scoreless in the ninth and have now been shut out in back-to-back games. San Diego looks to bounce back and force a rubber match Wednesday (5/22) with Michael King on the mound. 

Max Schwartzberg

A San Diegan born and raised, Max Schwartzberg is a diehard Padres fan who created and hosts the YouTube channel Padres Previews, a hub where he passionately delivers Padres news, updates, reactions, and hype videos. At Northeastern, Max broadcasts and writes for baseball, basketball, and hockey. Max dreams of following in the steps of Padres broadcaster and Northeastern alumnus Don Orsillo to become a Major League Baseball announcer.