SAN DIEGO -- Anthony DeSclafani on Friday night did what has become commonplace for Reds starting pitchers. He watched the game get decided by the bullpen.

But he also did something else that has become customary for the Reds’ rotation -- he put the team in position to win.

A raucous Reds clubhouse cranked the music after Derek Dietrich homered off Craig Stammen in the 11th inning to deliver a 3-2 victory over the Padres. Matt Kemp screamed a guttural, “Yesssss!” to no one in particular. Tucker Barnhart gleefully strummed a guitar.

It was the emotional release of a team that seemingly has shaken off the misery of a 5-12 start with two straight wins at Petco Park -- its first two road wins of the season following seven straight road losses. Dietrich’s two-run homer was the highlight moment of the day, but the Reds know having DeSclafani back on track could provide many more opportunities to turn the music up.

It was their first win in his four starts this season. Dating to last September, the Reds had lost eight straight games started by the right-hander. It was a confounding turnaround, given that DeSclafani had looked the part of an ace as recently as last August, when he went 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA and went at least six innings in five starts.

“It felt for a little bit like I was the weakest link in this rotation,” said DeSclafani, who turned 29 on Thursday. “I wanted to get out there and contribute, do my part.”

In Cincinnati’s slow start, the bright spot has been the starting pitching. Reds starters rank second in the National League in ERA (3.14) and have allowed the second-fewest hits (79) and home runs (nine). But a .192 team batting average offset the superior starting pitching, and the rotation has combined for a mere 2-6 record.

“They deserve a ton of credit for preparing well and going out and executing,” Reds manager David Bell said.

DeSclafani executed his fastball better than he has all season, and that was by design. He remained without a winning decision in 2019 but lowered his ERA from 7.43 to 5.59 with six exceptional innings.

Relying heavily on a fastball that sat consistently at 94 mph, DeSclafani held the Padres to one run on two hits and one walk in his longest outing of 2019.

“He really attacked the hitters and came after them,” Bell said. “He was very aggressive and trusted his stuff. He had a good fastball. He was using his fastball down and up, and a pretty good slider. The key, though, was to go after the hitters.”

Only one Padres batter managed to handle DeSclafani’s fastball. Rookie Fernando Tatis Jr. foreshadowed things with a leadoff groundout to second base on a 94-mph fastball that left his bat at 105.3 mph, according to Statcast. Two innings later, Tatis elevated a first-pitch, 95-mph fastball and tagged it for a 438-foot homer to center field. That one exited at 110.1 mph.

The only other hit off DeSclafani was a bloop single to right field off the bat of Manny Machado in the first inning. DeSclafani was unshaken by two infield errors that put runners on. He erased one in the second inning by inducing a double play and stranded the other in the fifth.

“I just tried to relax out there and throw strikes,” DeSclafani said. “It worked out, but the big thing is we got the W.”

Like DeSclafani, Padres starter Matt Strahm was unable to prevail despite allowing only two hits (over eight innings), and one of those hits was a homer. No. 2 batter Eugenio Suarez staked Cincinnati to a 1-0 lead in the first inning by knocking an 0-2, 92-mph fastball 390 feet to the opposite field, over the right-field fence.

DeSclafani was a spectator when the game’s third homer came in the 11th. Even though the Padres scored once in the bottom of the frame, it was time for DeSclafani to join in the celebration.