The Padres had a chance to leave their four-game set with Atlanta even, but the Braves kept landing the bigger punches. In a game defined by home runs, San Diego fell 6-5 in the series finale.
San Diego grabbed an early lead in the second inning after Braves starter Chris Sale walked Fernando Tatis Jr. with the bases loaded, bringing home the first run. Luis Regifo followed with a single that drove in two more, and the Padres were in front 3-0.
That edge didn’t last long. Kyle Hart handled the first inning as the opener, but once Griffin Canning took over, Atlanta started to tee off. Michael Harris II cut into the deficit with a solo homer in the second, Ozzie Albies added another solo shot in the fourth, and Dominic Smith delivered the biggest swing of the afternoon with a three-run homer that pushed the Braves ahead 5-3.
Canning’s outing got rough in a hurry. He finished with five runs allowed, four earned, on five hits, and his ERA climbed to 6.97. The long ball was the issue all day.
Atlanta added one more in the seventh when Drake Baldwin homered off Matt Waldron to make it 6-3. San Diego answered in the eighth, when Ty France launched a two-run homer off Tyler Kinley to pull the Padres back within a run.
The Padres had one last chance in the ninth. Raisel Iglesias came in after his adventure save in Atlanta’s 7-6 win over San Diego last night, and the inning got tense when Jake Cronenworth and Tatis opened with back-to-back singles. But Iglesias recovered and struck out Rengifo to earn his 21st save of the season.
The loss dropped San Diego to 2-5 on the road trip and 50-53 overall, leaving them three games under .500. Next up is a matchup with the Miami Marlins tomorrow night, with Miami one of the clubs just ahead of San Diego in the wild card race.
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Padres May Have Found The Spark Their Lineup Desperately Needed
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The early returns have been encouraging because the Padres have needed exactly this kind of contribution from the bottom and middle of the lineup mix. Rengifo has handled second base and left field, and he has enough defensive range to cover several other spots if needed, which only adds to the appeal. The bigger question is whether this stretch is a true turning point or just a hot run that can keep the Padres afloat for now. [Read more 🡒]