Padres Fade, Lose Series To Braves

Jul 28, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Jason Lane (57) delivers a pitch to Atlanta Braves second baseman Phil Gosselin (right) in the first inning of their game at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The finale was low-scoring to say the least. Both Ervin Santana and Jason Lane dealt inning after inning. Santana struck out 11, tying a career-high. Lane made one mistake to Evan Gattis, and that was the difference. The Padres fell 2-0. Santana fooled the Padres’ hitters all day long. He even made Seth Smith look silly, as he took the hat trick with 3 K’s. The lone bright spot offensively was the hitting of the two returned injured regulars. Yonder Alonso was 2-for-3 and Jedd Gyorko had a hit in his first game back from an extended stay on the disabled list. Lane added a hit of his own. That’s nothing new to him as he has .291 career hits in the big leagues.

Gattis was responsible for both runs, as he added an RBI single in the 8th to extend the Braves lead to 2. The Padres currently are 12.5 games back in the division, pending the games later today. They still have a game advantage on the Diamondbacks for 3rd place. The Padres played well for the most part against a team that will likely make the postseason. The task does not get any easier as they head home just in time to face the defending National League champion Cardinals.