Richards (3-5) earned the win by holding the Padres scoreless through five innings of work Sunday, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out eight.
Richards retired the first four batters before walking Hunter Renfroe in the second inning. He kept San Diego's bats quiet until the third with a bunt single to Austin Allen, which turned out to be his only hit allowed of the night. The right-hander then worked through a 28-minute delay as an exterminator removed a swarm of bees from a microphone behind home plate. The interruption did little to disrupt his flow; Richards pitched one of his best games of the year to pick up his second straight win and first on the road while recording a career-high eight strikeouts. His changeup looked as effective as ever, with 30 of 37 thrown for strikes. The 31-year-old has scattered five runs over his last four starts and will carry a 3.53 ERA and 1.24 WHIP into his next start Saturday against Atlanta.