(SportsNetwork.com) - The San Diego Padres will take their season-high three- game winning streak to the road when they play the first of three straight games against the Cincinnati Reds Tuesday from Great American Ball Park.
The Padres took the last three meetings of a four-game series versus the Florida Marlins and won the set with Sunday's 5-4 victory at Petco Park. They took an early 5-0 lead thanks to a four-run fourth inning before the Marlins made it interesting with four runs in the top of the eighth.
Padres closer Huston Street struggled in the ninth and worked out of a bases- loaded jam by inducing Jeff Baker into a game-ending fielder's choice. Street held on for his 11th save of the season. Robbie Erlin got the start for San Diego and struck out seven batters in 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.
"There was a little crisis at the end, but Huston has proven through his career he knows how to get outs," Padres manager Bud Black said. "That's the sign of a good closer. He did his job."
Will Venable homered and Chris Denorfia added two hits and two RBI for the Padres, who went 5-5 on the homestand.
San Diego is hoping to have outfielder Carlos Quentin back soon and he has been sidelined this season with a bone bruise on his left knee.
The Padres will also visit Colorado for three games on this trip and hope to give Andrew Cashner some run support when he takes the mound Tuesday. They haven't scored a run in each of his last three starts, getting outscored 4-0, 2-0 and 8-0. In the eight-run setback to Kansas City last Wednesday, Cashner lasted a season-low four innings and gave up four runs -- two earned.
Cashner has lost four straight starts and is a disappointing 2-5 in eight starts to go along with a decent 2.86 earned run average. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in seven career games (1 start) against the Reds.
San Diego has scored 24 runs over the last three games and hopes to have some left for Cashner's upcoming appearance. It is 13-1 when scoring four or more runs this season.
The Reds took two out of three matchups with the Rockies over the weekend and recorded a 4-1 win Sunday thanks to a strong start from Homer Bailey, who held Colorado to a run and four hits in 7 1/3 innings. Bailey struck out six batters and issued a pair of walks.
Aroldis Chapman made his 2014 debut and struck out the side for his first save. The hard-throwing left-hander threw plenty of balls faster than 100 mph and was back on the mound after taking a gruesome comebacker to the face in spring training. The injury required the insertion of a metal plate above his left eye. Chapman allowed a leadoff walk and proceeded to strike out the side.
"Chapman threw the ball very well," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "He was on today."
Chapman was happy to get back to work.
"I was excited to get back but I was even more excited when I heard the fans," Chapman said through a translator.
Todd Frazier homered, Skip Schumaker drove in two runs and Billy Hamilton tripled and scored a run for Cincinnati, which is 5-4 this month. Frazier extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games and has hit safely in 16 of his past 18.
Cincinnati has won nine of the last 11 games at home.
Taking the mound for the Reds Tuesday will be Mike Leake. Leake is 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA in his last four starts -- all Cincinnati losses -- and pitched well for a no-decision in last Wednesday's 4-3 loss at Boston. Leake was reached for two runs in seven innings and is 2-3 in seven starts with a 3.40 ERA.
In three career starts against San Diego, Leake has an 0-1 record and a 3.45 ERA across 15 2/3 innings pitched.
Cincinnati and San Diego split six meetings a season ago.
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