Brito, Bleday and Rodríguez homer, Reds score 7 unanswered runs to beat Padres 7-3

CINCINNATI (AP) — Rookie Juan Brito hit his first home run, JJ Bleday and Héctor Rodríguez also went deep and the Cincinnati Reds scored seven unanswered runs to beat the San Diego Padres 7-3 on Wednesday.

Despite winning the three-game series, Cincinnati (67-73) fell 6 1/2 games back of Arizona for the third and final NL wild card after the Diamondbacks beat the Phillies. San Diego was half a game behind Arizona.

Brito had a game-tying, three-run shot into the right-field seats in the third inning. Two batters later, Rodríguez tacked on a solo shot to give Cincinnati the lead. Rodríguez has five homers in his last 10 games.

Bleday capped the scoring in the seventh with his 22nd homer of the season, a two-run, 416-foot hit to help the Reds clinch the three-game series. Matt McLain added an RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Brandon Williamson (3-3) pitched a season-best 5 1/3 innings for Cincinnati, striking out five and allowing three runs on seven hits. Pierce Johnson, Tejay Antone, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagán went hitless out of the bullpen to seal the win.

Ty France gave San Diego a 2-0 lead in the first inning with his 20th home run of the season, and Fernando Tatis Jr. plated the Padres' final run in the second with an RBI single.

Casey Mize (5-9) threw four innings for the Padres and surrendered four runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Since being traded on Aug. 3 from the Detroit Tigers, Mize has 20 earned runs and 15 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched for San Diego.

Padres: RHP Walker Buehler (8-6, 4.66 ERA) starts Game 1 of a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Friday.

Reds: RHP Rhett Lowder (6-8, 5.14) takes the mound Friday for the opener of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Casey Mize (32) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Tony Wagner)

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Brandon Williamson (55) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Tony Wagner)

Cincinnati Reds left fielder J.J. Bleday (22) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a 2two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Tony Wagner)

Cincinnati Reds right fielder Hector Rodriguez (43) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Tony Wagner)

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Juan Brito (46) hits a thee-run home run in the second inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Tony Wagner)

PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) — The former Tropical Storm Edouard weakened into a depression Tuesday night while unleashing heavy rains and strong winds on parts of Texas, knocking out power to thousands, toppling trees and flooding roads.

The storm downgraded hours after making landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters said the system would keep losing strength as it pushed inland but would likely continue to produce heavy rains and possible flooding into Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a burst of tropical weather continued in the Pacific, where three named storms were churning in open waters.

The hurricane center expected Edouard to dump 3 to 7 inches (8 to 17 centimeters) of rain with up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) in some areas.

As the center of the storm passed over Beaumont, Texas, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Houston, the city's offices were shuttered and the Texas Office of Emergency Management warned residents to stay off the road.

Throughout the city were downed trees blocking roads, traffic signals that weren't working and flooded underpasses, Beaumont Police said in a post on social media.

About 32,000 utility customers were without electricity in Jefferson County, which includes Beaumont, according to poweroutage.com.

Mike Gilbert decided ahead of the storm to close his surf shop on Texas' Crystal Beach because he didn't want to risk his employees having a difficult time getting home. But, he said, it had ended up just being gray skies and drizzly rain there Tuesday as Edouard made landfall about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of his shop.

“You literally never know," Gilbert said. “It could have all of a sudden moved over 50 miles and picked up 20 mph in wind and it could have been a whole different story.”

In Cameron, Louisiana, the winds had picked up by Tuesday morning and rain was coming through on and off, said Connor Salvador, who owns an RV park there near the coast. He said while there could be a “little bit” of flooding if they get a lot of rain, he wasn't too worried about Edouard.

“We’re pretty used to all these types of storms that come through,” he said.

Forecasters said newly formed Hurricane Lowell in the Pacific Ocean was expected to remain several hundred miles away from Hawaii for the next several days at least, but swells from the hurricane were likely to impact parts of the islands beginning Wednesday.

“This hurricane is likely to increase the surf and make for dangerous beach conditions and marine conditions for any boaters near the Hawaiian islands over the next few days,” said Andrew Hagen, a forecaster with the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Marie formed in the Pacific Ocean early Tuesday well offshore of southwest Mexico, the center said. Forecasters said it was expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday night, and swells generated by the storm were expected to affect parts of the coast in southwestern Mexico and the Baja California peninsula over the next few days.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Karina became a hurricane Sunday, fueled by warm waters far from any shore. It strengthened Monday into a powerful Category 4 storm but forecasters said Tuesday that it was expected to weaken.

Stengle reported from Dallas. Associated Press journalists Julie Walker in New York and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

Fishermen cast their lines in surf stirred up by Tropical Storm Edouard in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Surfers try to catch a wave in surf stirred up by Tropical Storm Edouard in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Motorists drive by Texas Department of Transportation signs on I-610 as Tropical Storm Edouard approaches in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Dark clouds hand low over the horizon as Tropical Storm Edouard makes its way towards landfall in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Motorists drive by Texas Department of Transportation signs on I-610 as Tropical Storm Edouard approaches in Houston, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Edouard over the Gulf of Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration taken shows Tropical Storm Edouard heading toward the Gulf Coast, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

This satellite image released by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Marie in the North Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, Sept.1, 2026 . (NOAA via AP)

This satellite image released by NOAA shows Hurricane Karina strengthening off the southern tip of Baja California on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

This satellite image released by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Lowell over the Pacific Ocean, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

This satellite image released by NOAA shows Potential Tropical Cyclone Five forming over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (NOAA via AP)