The Reds bullpen has taken lumps and it's taken much of the blame for the skid the club has endured the past several weeks. On Tuesday, it deserved a lot of the credit, even though it was Sal Stewart's big two-run home run in the top of the 11th inning that ultimately delivered a 5-3 victory over the Padres. Before Stewart's homer, the bullpen did not allow an earned run over the final 5 2/3 innings despite a lot of San Diego scoring chances. “This was the epitome of a team win," Stewart said. "I’m proud to call these guys my teammates. We’ve been on a bad stretch, but the ones that always believe are the ones in here.” A five-game losing streak was halted. Cincinnati had also dropped nine of the previous 11 games. Coming in, Reds relievers were 2-11 with a 7.00 ERA over their last 38 games. Only three of the eight relievers who opened the season are still on the active roster.
