Reds snap skid behind Sal Stewart's extra-inning heroics vs. Padres

Reds snap skid behind Sal Stewart’s extra-inning heroics vs. Padres originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Cincinnati Reds rookie Sal Stewart powered the team to an important extra-innings 5-3 victory against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. 

After going through a difficult stretch that included multiple game collapses in the five-game losing streak, the Reds found much-needed spark off the barrel of Stewart, who struck a decisive blow in extra innings. 

In the 11th inning, the 22-year-old hit his 13th home run of the season against Yuki Matsui to break the 3-3 tie. Reliever Zach Maxwell did the rest of the job in the bottom half of the innings to give the Reds only their third win in 12 games.

Sal Stewart puts the @Reds ahead in the 11th! pic.twitter.com/8WAhBlGUNj

— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2026

MORE: Reds’ Sal Stewart is a favorite to win a major award in MLB

Reds tie series against Padres with timely offense

Previously, the Reds suffered a 6-2 loss against the Padres in the series opener at Petco Park. 

On Tuesday, they jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning with Tyler Stephenson’s RBI single and JJ Bleday reaching home on a Padres’ error. Jackson Merrill’s RBI triple off Chase Burns cut the Reds’ lead in half. The Padres tied the game with Manny Machado’s RBI single in the third inning.

The tie remained in place through the end of regulation as extra innings were forced. In the 10th, both teams scored. Eugenio Suarez hit an RBI double for the Reds. The Padres tied the scores again with Samad Taylor’s game-tying single off Tejay Antone.

Finally, the tie was broken apart by Sal Stewart, and the Reds held onto the two-run lead through the end of the 11th inning, to tie the series.

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