Samad Taylor, recently called up from Triple-A, delivered a crucial safety-squeeze bunt and a two-run single to lead the San Diego Padres to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday at Petco Park.
The Padres had lost six of their previous seven home games before snapping the skid.
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Taylor went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, a run scored, and a stolen base.
He broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning with an RBI bunt single, then extended the lead in the eighth with a two-RBI single to left field.
The 27-year-old was promoted from the El Paso Chihuahuas on Wednesday to replace injured outfielder Ramon Laureano, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a hip injury.
Defensively, Taylor tracked down a critical fly ball near the left-field line and threw out a Cincinnati baserunner at home plate to prevent the Reds from taking the lead.
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His performance was part of a late-game small-ball strategy that included three consecutive successful bunts by the bottom of the Padres lineup.
"We're spark plugs," Taylor said. "Engine doesn't run without spark plugs."
Padres manager Craig Stammen started Taylor again on Tuesday, batting sixth, as the team played without shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who was on paternity leave.
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"I love that energy from Samad, and his confidence," Stammen said.
