SAN DIEGO _ A $175,000 signee out of the Dominican Republic, Franchy Cordero had a wiry-strong left-handed swing, which dared the San Diego Padres to dream of a big league future for the 17-year-old as a rare power-hitting shortstop.
The reality?
Even with a wild arm forcing Cordero to move to center, his bat is playing at the major league level.
The 23-year-old Cordero hit the first homer of his big league career and doubled and Austin Hedges drove in three runs on three hits in a 9-3 romp over the Cincinnati Reds that awarded Luis Perdomo his first win of the season.
The Cordero-led offense made it easy, with San Diego batting around in a six-run second off 40-year-old Bronson Arroyo.
Hedges drove in the first two runs on a double into the left-field corner, Jose Pirela singled him in and Cordero lined an 84 mph fastball over the wall in left to open up a 6-2 lead.
As the 22-year-old Cordero crossed the plate, a smile slipped onto his face. Fifteen games into his big league career, he is hitting .304 with six RBIs.
The night was hardly over for Arroyo.
Yangervis Solarte capped the six-run rally with a 424-foot homer, Cordero doubled and scored on Wil Myers' fourth-inning single and Perdomo's fifth-inning triple chased Arroyo with 13 hits allowed, tied for a career-high.
Hedges tallied three of them, including a pop-up single in the middle of a confused Reds infield and a long single that bounced off the wall quickly enough for left fielder Adam Duvall to throw him out at second in the fifth. The only Padre without a hit off Arroyo (4 2/3 IP, 9 ER) was Hunter Renfroe.
The offensive awaking allowed Perdomo to put a rough first inning behind him.
The 24-year-old right-hander exited an out shy of completing seven innings for the second time this season. He scattered three runs on seven hits and two walks to turn in his third quality start in his last four outings.
Two of the runs scored in the first inning in a two-out rally that Scott Schebler cashed in with a two-run single with the bases loaded. The third crossed the plate in the seventh on Scooter Gennett's single to right.
After walking Billy Hamilton, Perdomo gave way to left-hander Ryan Buchter, who struck out Arismendy Alcantara with runners on first and second.
