For the second time in three days the San Diego Padres offensive firepower showed up big time, slugging four home runs in a 8-3 win over the Atlanta Braves to level the series on Tuesday night at Truist Park.
Manny Machado had a pair of solo home runs, Jackson Merrill started a three-run rally with a blast, and Fernando Tatis Jr. added a late monster two-run home run that was the longest in the Majors this season for the Padres (50-51). After scoring two runs early off walks, Atlanta (58-42) was held to just four hits.
"We have good hitters, it's not the line of where they're hitting, it's when they commit to a plan, and take good at bats, and the pitcher doesn't pitch his game, you can have a game like that, which was a lot of good offense," manager Craig Stammen said.
The three-run fourth inning helped San Diego take the first multi-run lead of the game, kick-started by Merrill hitting his 13th home run, catching a low-and-away curveball and sending it out to right center. The bottom of the order kept it rolling after that, with Gavin Sheets drawing a one-out walk and Xander Bogaerts doubling.
Luis Rengifo had a productive out, hitting a ground out to short that allowed Sheets to score and Bogaerts to advance for his first RBI as a member of the Padres. Then Tatis notched his second hit of the game, jumping on a first-pitch fastball and lacing it for an RBI double down the right field line to make it 4-2.
An inning later Machado added to the lead with a solo home run for the second game in a row, turning on an inside fastball and hitting it off the scoreboard on the second deck in left field. It’s the first time this season that Machado has homered in consecutive games. The Padres loaded the bases, but came up empty on a pair of chances.
"That's the thing we've struggled most with most of the year, to tack on those extra runs to give us a little breathing room for our bullpen and our starters especially," Stammen said.
"We've done that two of the last three games where we've continued to tack on, we continue to take good at bats, and I think that's a testament to our hitting coaches working with these guys, getting their swings tightened up, getting them right where they want where they're not just taking one or two good at bats, but they're taking three, or four or five the entire night. We've seen that a little bit more often than not here of late."
Then in the sixth Machado homered again, this time taking reliever JR Ritchie out to left-center field. Tatis added the exclamation point in the eighth, as he belted a 474-foot, mammoth two-RBI shot to left-center field off the Atlanta reliever.
"That was far, that was a bomb. I have never seen something go that far, he almost made it up there to the concourse," Machado said on the Padres.tv broadcast after the game.
It helped back up a start by Walker Buehler that began a bit wild, but settled in after allowing two runs in the second inning. It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Braves were able to get their second hit, as he was lifted with two outs but with runners on second and third.
The Padres got to hitting early, as Tatis reached on a swinging bunt dribbler to third base, then Jake Cronenworth went the other way with an outside fastball for a single. Ty France cashed in the opening run, driving in Tatis after Machado grounded into a double play.
All told, San Diego was able to line up four singles off Atlanta starter Reynaldo López, but were held to just the one run. Still, it was the first opening inning run for the Brown and Gold after coming up empty in their previous five games.
But Buehler was punished for his early misses in the second inning, as two of the three walks his first time through the order came home to roost. Mauricio Dubón looked at four straight outside the zone with one down, then Brewer Hicklen walked with two gone. Jim Jarvis drove an up-and-in cutter off the wall in right field, scoring a pair to put the Braves in front.
After lasting just two innings his last time out against Toronto on July 11 and throwing 65 pitches, it took Buehler 50 pitches to work around four total walks in the first two innings against the Braves.
Buehler’s final line was 5 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and two runs while working around five walks with three strikeouts to notch his sixth win.
"He had that tough inning there...but we battled and he kept it under wraps after that inning, and we were able to go out there and get him some run support and he was out there throwing the ball really well. He's been throwing the ball well all year for us, so he just need to continue doing what he's always done his entire career," Machado said.
Yuki Matsui was charged with a run against in his 2/3 an inning of work with a pair of walks and a strikeout. Bradgley Rodriguez allowed a hit with two strikeouts in 2/3 an inning, Adrian Morejon had a clean eighth, and Mason Miller pitched the ninth in a non-save situation, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out three.
While Atlanta has yet to name a starter for the third game in the four-game series, the Padres will turn to Michael King (6-7, 3.34 ERA). In his three starts in July, King has pitched 17 innings and allowed just four runs with 13 strikeouts and six walks, giving up 11 hits and throwing 65.2% of his pitches for strikes — up from his season average of 62.8%. First pitch at Truist Park is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. PT.
This story was updated at 8:30 p.m.