McCoy: Reds snap six-game skid to Padres on Stephenson’s walk-off hit

The Reds trailed, 4-3, entering the ninth, but Kyle Farmer tied it with a one-out home run off San Diego closer Mark Melancon.

Then the Reds loaded the bases, setting it up for Stephenson and the end of San Diego’s six-game winning streak over the Reds.

During the game the crowd was told that Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker won starting spots in the National League All-Star lineup.

The Padres made certain Castellanos was not the hero in the ninth inning. They walked him intentionally to fill the bases and bring up Stephenson.

“Let me tell you, he is going to have a really good career,” said Castellanos, talking about Stephenson. “It is because there is no moment too big for him. He just gets one clutch hit after another and he has been doing it from the moment he put a big-league uniform on.

“To be able to be that calm in these kinds of moments, those are the intangibles that nobody can teach,” he added.

Castellanos was calm and collected about his All-Star selection and said, “Honestly, I was more excited about winning this game than I was hearing that I was an All-Star.”

Winker, though, was in tears after the game as he talked about what it meant to him.

“Means a lot,” he said. “I never thought this could happen for me. I am very thankful. I was told just before the game and my head was. . .well, I’m not going to lie, I was thinking about it the whole game.

“This is something I didn’t expect, even though it was a goal of mine,” he added. “Who doesn’t say they want to play in the All-Star game and they want to start it? I’m speechless. I can’t believe it.”

It was, indeed, a funky game. The Reds collected 15 hits, but stranded 18, left the bases loaded twice and were 5 for 18 with runners in scoring position. They had runners on base in every inning. But it took Stephenson’s clutch swing in the ninth to get that fifth and deciding run home.

They led, 3-1, after six innings as Reds starter Luis Castillo held San Diego to two hits.

But the Padres tied it with a pair of runs in the seventh and the Reds gave it away in the eighth.

A throwing error by rookie third baseman Alejo Lopez, who had four hits, permitted the go-ahead run to score.

Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the inning with a single and stole second, his 17th theft. Jake Cronenworth flied to left and Tatis got caught off second base on Manny Machado’s ground ball.

So the Reds had two outs with Machado on first. Machado broke for second on Brad Brach’s pitch and he was called out. But replay/review revealed he was safe.

Eric Hosmer grounded to Lopez and he fielded it cleanly, took a hop step, and threw it in the dirt past first baseman Joey Votto as Machado scored.

The Reds threatened in the bottom of the eighth, back-to-back singles by Castellanos and Stephenson. But Votto flied to left and the unfortunate Lopez hit into an inning-ending double play.

But Farmer’s homer and Stephenson hit made Lopez celebrate his four hits and forget the error and the double play.

The Reds barged to a 2-0 lead in the second against left-hander Ryan Weathers, the son of former Reds relief pitcher David Weathers.

Lopez singled, Aristides Aquino walked and Farmer singled to load the bases. Lopez scored on a fielder’s choice and Jonathan India singled to plate another run for a 2-0 lead.

Just before the fifth inning began, another heavy rainstorm stopped play for 52 minutes. Castillo had retired 11 straight.

He retook the mound after the delay. He walked Machado when play resumed, and Hosmer beat an infield single to second base. Jurickson Profar doubled over center fielder Aquino’s head to score Machado, cutting the lead to 2-1.

The Reds retrieved that run in the bottom of the fifth, scoring after they had two outs and nobody on.

Lopez started it again with an infield single and took second when pitcher Mason Thompson threw a wild pickoff throw. Aquino doubled to left to score Lopez and push the Reds lead to 3-1.

It came apart for Castillo in the seventh when the Padres scored two to tie it, 3-3. Then came Lopez’s error in the ninth that permitted the Padres to take a 4-3 lead and appear on their way to another head-shaking win over the Reds.

But Farmer and Stephenson saved the day.