Padres Fade, Lose Series To Braves

Jul 26, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) hits a RBI single against the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2 wasn’t as kind to the Friars. Odrisamer Despaigne faced adversity for the first time since being called up. He only went 3.2 innings, allowing 5 runs but only 2 were earned. He had 42 pitches in that rough 4th inning. He got tagged for his second loss as he also walked 5 Braves. His ERA is still at 1.66. The bullpen was forced to pitch 4.1 innings. The offense wasn’t bad. Smith had 3 hits and a walk, Yasmani Grandal had 2 RBI and Solarte had 2 hits and an RBI. Despaigne looked as if he was trying to guide the ball rather than let it rip and throw strikes. He only has had 6 starts in his major league career. It took this long for him to have a rough outing. He is an exceptional pitcher and he will be better for it. Grandal mentioned that his curveball and change-up were not behaving like normal, which led to missed spots and runs.

Chris Johnson and Freddie Freeman came up with key hits, the two combined for 4 hits and 3 RBI. The Atlanta bullpen backed up Julio Teheran by pitching 3 shutout innings behind his strong start. The Padres eventually fell 5-3 to the Braves.