Padres 1, Reds 0, 12 innings

SAN DIEGO (AP) Six Cincinnati pitchers combined to throw a shutout for 11 innings. Unfortunately for the Reds, the seventh couldn't continue the trend.

Brian Reith issued one-out walks to pinch hitters Sean Burroughs and Ryan Klesko, both on four pitches, before Mark Kotsay hit the game-winning double off the center-field fence to give the San Diego Padres a 1-0 victory over the Reds on Friday night.

``It's tough one,'' Cincinnati manager Dave Miley said. ``Our pitching staff did a heck of a job. Any loss is tough, but losing in 12 innings in a 0-0 game, it's a tough one.''

Reith (1-2) started the 12th and got Ramon Vazquez to foul out. Despite eight straight balls, Kotsay swung and missed at the first pitch before connecting on the next.

``I wanted to be aggressive,'' said Kotsay, who went 3-for-4 with two walks. ``I knew he was going to be in the strike zone.''

The Reds have lost five straight while the Padres ended a three-game losing streak.

San Diego rookie Jake Peavy missed out on his first career shutout and complete game, even though he pitched nine scoreless innings to extend his streak to 16 over two starts.

``Jake had a great game,'' Kotsay said. ``That's one of the reasons why (we won). He threw nine innings of shutout baseball. It's unfortunate that we couldn't get a run across the board.''

Peavy, coming off a 6-4 victory at Philadelphia on Aug. 2, allowed five hits with six strikeouts and one walk.

``He threw real well for nine innings,'' said the Reds' Brandon Larson, who finished 0-for-5. ``We had some chances and didn't take advantage of them. His slider was working real well, and he had his best stuff going.''

Rod Beck (2-1) pitched the 12th to finish a combined seven-hit shutout by three pitchers. He followed Jay Witasick, who worked two innings.

Padres right fielder Gary Matthews Jr. preserved the shutout in the ninth when he threw out pinch-runner Ray Olmedo trying to score from second on a one-out single by Barry Larkin.

John Bale, making his first career start for the Reds, allowed no runs and five hits in 4 2-3 innings.

``He was a little gassed,'' Miley said. ``But I thought he threw the ball well, putting zeros on the board.''

It was Bale's longest stint in 19 major league appearances. His previous best was a four-inning effort on Sept. 7, 2001, for Baltimore against Seattle.

In his only other appearance Cincinnati, Bale gave up one run in two innings against San Francisco on Sunday. He was recalled from Triple-A Louisville on July 30.

``You rarely see games that are 0-0 in the ninth,'' Burroughs said. ``You have to tip your hat to everyone that pitched. That's baseball. That's why it's great. It's different every night.''

San Diego failed to score in the eighth after Kotsay led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch with nobody out. He went to third on a flyout, but was stranded when Ryan Wagner struck out Matthews, up as a pinch hitter.

Kotsay recorded his second straight three-hit game, raising his batting average to .258.

``I'd like to see it continue,'' Kotsay said. ``Two days mean nothing to me. Two weeks would mean something to me.''

Cincinnati's Reggie Taylor singled in the 12th to end an 0-for-26 slump, the longest drought on the club this season. Entering the night, Felipe Lopez held the season worst with 0-for-23 dry spell.< ^Notes:@ Larkin returned to the lineup for the first time since leaving Wednesday's game after irritating the scar tissue that resulted from hernia surgery on Aug. 24. ... Burroughs, who was in a 0-for-10 skid with five strikeouts, did not start. ... None of the Padres had previously faced Bale, who pitched for Toronto (2000) and Baltimore (2001) in the American League before joining the Reds.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)