Yu Darvish threw five shutout innings on three hits in his season's first win Tuesday, when the San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-4.
A solid 70-pitch outing with three strikeouts and no walks sees Darvish (1-1) move to within three wins of 200 wins in a career split between Japan and the United States.
The 37-year-old, who returned from the 15-day injured list after recovering from a neck strain, had runners on the corners with two outs in the third but retired Reds dynamo Elly De La Cruz. The right-hander, making his sixth start of the season, was pulled with his team leading 5-0 at Petco Park.
"My control was good overall," Darvish said. "I located well at important moments, allowing me to get outs. (Earning a win) is proof of a team win, so I'm happy in that sense."
Adrian Morejon gave up two runs in the sixth and Enyel De Los Santos two more in the seventh before Yuki Matsui took the mound with one out in the inning. The southpaw worked 1-2/3 perfect innings, striking out two, to help his compatriot Darvish get the win.
"My breaking balls were working well, and I used them as the basis to get outs," Matsui said. "I got hit last time when I pitched in more than one inning. I was asked to take the mound in a good situation and wanted to redeem myself."
Robert Suarez, formerly of the SoftBank Hawks and Hanshin Tigers in Japan, threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his 10th save as the Padres snapped their five-game skid, while another Japanese pro baseball veteran, the Reds' Nick Martinez (0-2) took the loss.
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