Hot Padres Sweep Braves, Win Homestand

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.