San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds

Swept by the Rays in agonizing fashion over the weekend, the Padres vowed that they wouldn’t let that series derail them. Easier said than done. That series came with all manner of bad bounces and tough breaks. The Wild Card race was tightening. But on Monday night, the Padres lived up to the challenge they set for themselves. They bounced back in a big way. Michael King pitched six scoreless innings and Manny Machado pounded out a season-high four hits in a convincing 5-0 win over the Reds. “Important to be able to turn the page,” said manager Craig Stammen. Here are some takeaways from Great American Ball Park: **A win when they needed it** No, this wasn’t a must-win game. The race between the Padres (73-65) and Diamondbacks (73-66) for the National League’s final Wild Card spot seems destined to come down to the wire. There are still twists and turns ahead. But it was a big game -- particularly after their weekend in St. Petersburg -- and the Padres had their stopper on the mound “There are definitely games that I think the boys feel … ‘Hey, let’s end this skid and get back on track,’” King said. “I love that added pressure.” Beyond King’s strong effort, the San Diego offense turned in a complete performance. Five Padres recorded a multihit game. From the start, they made a statement. “You flush it down the toilet,” Machado said. “It was a bad series. … Just flush it down the toilet and continue to keep playing the baseball we’ve been playing. You see it tonight. Excellent pitching from Mike -- and the offense as well.”