PHILADELPHIA – Vicente Padilla pitched six scoreless innings for his first win of the season and was backed by solo homers from Chase Utley and Bobby Abreu in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Padilla (1-4) tossed four-hit ball in his longest outing of the season to earn his first win since last Sept. 29. Padilla wasn’t particularly sharp, he threw 96 pitches and tied a career high with six walks, but he worked out of a couple of jams to help the Phillies split the four-game series.

Billy Wagner pitched the final 1 1-3 innings for his ninth save in 10 chances. The Reds added two runs in the ninth on Sean Casey’s RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Ken Griffey Jr. but Wagner struck out Adam Dunn to end the game with the tying run on first.

Padilla started the season on the disabled list while recovering from right triceps tendinitis and pitched poorly since returning to the rotation on April 19. Only twice in five starts did he go five innings, and he entered Sunday’s start with an ERA of 9.74.

Padilla’s struggles seemed to carry over against the Reds when he gave up a hit and walked two in the first inning. But he escaped without allowing a run when Austin Kearns grounded out.

Padilla opened the fourth inning by walking Dunn and giving up Kearns’ seventh double of the year. After an out, Javier Valentin walked to load the bases but Padilla got Reds starter Elizardo Ramirez to hit into an inning-ending double play.

The Philadelphia right-hander allowed a two-out double to D’Angelo Jimenez in the sixth and intentionally walked Valentin. Though Cincinnati trailed 2-0, Reds manager Dave Miley let Ramirez bat. It didn’t pay off as the pitcher flied out to left.

Ramirez (0-1) worked six solid innings in his first career start. He struck out four, walked two and gave up seven hits.

He made his major league debut last year with Philadelphia, which traded him to the Reds last season as part of the deal that sent pitcher Cory Lidle to the Phillies.

The Phillies led 3-0 in the eighth when Griffey singled and Dunn doubled to chase reliever Rheal Cormier. Ryan Madson, who gave up six runs in just one-third an inning on Saturday, got Kearns on an RBI groundout and recorded the second out before giving way to Wagner.

Wagner struck out pinch-hitter Joe Randa to end the eighth, stranding Dunn on third.

Utley hit a homer several rows back in the second level in right in the second inning and Abreu hit his shot the opposite way to left in the fifth. Abreu homered for the seventh time in eight games and has 10 this season.

He has a nine-game hitting streak and an RBI in eight straight games. Abreu homered in five straight games before his streak ended Friday night.

Endy Chavez tripled in his first game with the Phillies and scored on Abreu’s single in the seventh. Philadelphia added an unearned run in the eighth.

Notes: Chavez made his first start in center field for Philadelphia after he was acquired Saturday in a trade with Washington for CF Marlon Byrd. … Phillies manager Charlie Manuel hopes C Mike Lieberthal (finger) will return to the lineup Tuesday. Lieberthal missed his third straight game.

AP-ES-05-15-05 1631EDT