Hot Padres Sweep Braves, Win Homestand

Aug 1, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Tommy Medica (14) singles during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

PADRES VS. BRAVES

The Padres (51-60) swept the series against the Atlanta Braves (58-54), their second sweep of the season. The Padres finished 5-1 for the homestand, also winning the series against St. Louis. Throughout this series and homestand, the Padres bats came through more often than usual. They had 2 walk-off wins against the Braves.

As a team, the Padres hit .339 in the series, accumulating 39 hits in the 3 games. They also had 7 extra base hits and walked 20 times. The Padres were 12-for-43 with runners in scoring position, which is a .279 average. The offensive player of the series was definitely Tommy Medica. He had 3 HRs, including two in Friday night’s win. He had 8 hits in 12 at-bats with 5 runs scored and 5 RBI. His 5-hit game on Friday marked the first time a Padre had 5 hits and 2 home runs in a game since Ryan Klesko in 2001. He had 18 total bases, which ties the franchise record for total bases in a 3-game series at Petco Park.

The pitching had a good showing as well. Eric Stults finally had a good outing and Tim Stauffer had 2 wins in the series. The only hiccup was a blown save by Joaquin Benoit in Sunday’s finale. The pitching kept B.J. Upton and Freddie Freeman at bay for the most part. The Braves have struggled offensively lately and the Padres pitching certainly did not help matters.

Aug 2, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Will Venable (left) is doused by shortstop Everth Cabrera (center) after he drove in the winning run during the twelfth inning against the Atlanta Braves in a 3-2 win at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

GAME TWO

Game 2 did not have the same offensive fireworks but was entertaining nonetheless. Ian Kennedy didn’t have the stuff he has had most of this year, but he still struck out 7 and only allowed 2 hits in 5 innings. He also walked 5. The Padres squandered a late 2-1 lead, a rarity with this bullpen. Kevin Quackenbush allowed 2 hits, a run and a walk while the Braves tied the game in the 8^th. The game eventually went into extras and the Padres were given the opportunity to win in the 12^th when the mighty Braves closer Craig Kimbrel walked 3 straight Padres. Will Venable then took advantage by lining the walk-off hit over Jason Heyward’s head in right field. Medica once again had a multi-hit game and Yangervis Solarte had 2 walks, 2 runs scored and an RBI. The Padres fared better the second time against Atlanta’s starting pitcher Ervin Santana. He still pitched well, striking out 6 in 6.2 innings but he did walk 4. That opened some doors for the Padres. It was a much better result than last week when Santana pitched 8 innings, striking out a career-high 11. Tim Stauffer got his third win of the season as he pitched a scoreless 11^th and 12^th innings.

Aug 3, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Tommy Medica (14) hits a solo home run during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

GAME THREE

Game 3 had its share of twists and turns as well. The Padres had a 2-0 lead early, but like Saturday, the Braves battled back to tie it at 2-2. The Padres got runs in the second and fourth innings thanks to an Everth Cabrera sac fly and Tyson Ross’ third RBI of the year. Tyson Ross cruised into the 7^th, where the Braves made him and Nick Vincent sweat out of a jam, but not before allowing the game to be tied. Ross finished with 7 strikeouts in 6 innings.  Tommy Medica then did what he has done most of the past few weeks, came through in the clutch. He smacked a line-drive home run in the bottom of the 8^th inning, giving him his third of the series and the Padres a 3-2 lead. The lead didn’t last long as Jason Heyward made a quick trip around the bases after a leadoff double to tie the game. The Padres had a golden opportunity in the 10^thand all seemed lost once Rene Rivera’s attempted bunt turned into an unorthodox double play. But Cabrera got a chance with Alexi Amarista in scoring position and he delivered and the Padres walked off for the second straight game.

Aug 3, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera (left) tags out Atlanta Braves left fielder Justin Upton (8) during the eighth inning as Upton tried to steal at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

SUMMARY

The Padres are one of the hottest teams in baseball since the break. They have widened the margin between themselves and the bottom feeders of the NL West. They are not by any stretch, a contender in the NL West, but they are firmly in third place. Because of injury among other things, the Rockies have plummeted to 19 games back of the Dodgers. The Friars are now 7 games ahead of the Rockies and 2.5 games in front of the Diamondbacks. The Padres have won 3 straight games and 5 of their last 6. San Diego has boosted their team batting average to .223. There is still a long way to go before they can get out of the cellar in many offensive categories, but this is a good start. They are among the NL leaders in most offensive categories since the All-Star break. Many Padres boosted their batting averages during this homestand. Medica is at .273 after his white-hot series. The Padres end the homestand and head out east, their first trip being Minnesota, the site of the 2014 All-Star Game last month. The Padres are 14-16 against the NL East this year. They finish 4-3 against the Braves in 2014.