CINCINNATI _ Carlos Asuaje kept running.
Around second base.
Through third.
All along he was peering over his shoulder toward center field where, Asuaje was sure, there was no way speedster Billy Hamilton actually held onto the ball at the end of a sprinting, twisting jump against the wall in straight-away center to rob him of extra bases in the second.
Of course, Hamilton had. It was the least the Reds' speedy center fielder could do a half-inning after Asuaje defied odds to start a double play on Hamilton's bounding ball toward center, the most improbable of twin killings, to help Luis Perdomo through six strong innings in the Padres' 7-3 win on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.
Early on, Perdomo needed the assist.
He'd already walked two batters. He'd given up three straight singles to start the second. After striking out pitcher Sal Romano, Perdomo looked sure to yield at least one run when Hamilton _ the undisputed fastest man in baseball _ sent a ball up on the middle.
But Asujae, ranging to his right, snagged it before it slipped into center field. He then flipped it to shortstop Dust Coleman, who spun as he tapped second base and whirled to first to nab Hamilton in time to end the scoring threat.
The Padres turned two more double plays after that and catcher Austin Hedges even threw out Hamilton attempting to steal second to back Perdomo, who limited the Reds to two runs in six-plus innings.
Both runs scored when left-hander Jose Torres surrendered a three-run homer to Tucker Barnhardt upon replacing Perdomo in the sixth. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out seven and allowed seven hits _ including two in the sixth _ and four walks.
As fast as Hamilton is as the majors' steals leader with 44, even he couldn't cover enough ground to save the Reds staff Tuesday.
Austin Hedges hit his 15th homer, Yangervis Solarte hit his 12th and Jose Pirela tied a career-high with four of the Padres' 11 hits.
Pirela doubled twice, walked and scored three runs, Solarte drove in three on a three hits, a season-high, and Coleman went 2 for 3 to lift his average to .333 in 12 games since joining the Padres as a glove-first defender at shortstop.
