Denorfia delivers winning hit in 9th for Padres, 4-3 over Reds

Denorfia delivers winning hit in 9th for Padres

SAN DIEGO — Chris Denorfia doubled in the winning run off hard-throwing rookie Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the ninth inning, giving the San Diego Padres a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday and a share of the NL West lead with San Francisco.

The Reds’ magic number for clinching the NL Central was trimmed to two before the first pitch when the St. Louis Cardinals lost 7-3 at the Chicago Cubs.

Denorfia’s shot off Chapman (1-2) went down the line, skipping past the glove of third baseman Scott Rolen and scoring Chase Headley from first. Left fielder Jonny Gomes made a sliding stop in foul territory before it got to the wall, but Headley beat the throw home.

Heath Bell (6-0) pitched the ninth for the win.