The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Good start, bad end
Braves continue to struggle at Petco Park as five Padres pitchers combine to strike out 13 and allow only one first-inning run.
SAN DIEGO — When Freddie Freeman homered in the first inning Wednesday, the Braves had to feel good about their chances, considering how Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz has pitched lately and the fact that San Diego would be piecing together a “bullpen game” with a bunch of relievers in this series finale.
But all five Padres pitchers thwarted the Braves the rest of the way, and Foltynewicz allowed two runs in the second inning of a 3-1 series-clinching Padres win, the 16th loss for the Braves in their past 19 games at Petco Park.
The Braves trailed 2-1 when Ozzie Albies led off the eighth with a double off Brad Hand, who
struck out the next three batters — Dansby Swanson and hot-hitting Freeman and Nick Markakis — to squelch that rally before it could take hold.
Foltynewicz (5-4) allowed five hits, two runs and two walks with eight strikeouts in five innings, the seventh time he has lasted five innings or fewer in 13 starts this season, but the first time in his past four starts.
He had a microscopic 0.56 ERA in his past five starts before Wednesday and had allowed only five hits, one run and four walks with 18 strikeouts in 16 innings over his past two starts. That’s while outpitching aces Chris Sale and Stephen Strasburg in wins at Boston and Friday’s two-hit shutout against the Nationals.
Foltynewicz threw 100 pitches (65 strikes) in five innings Wednesday after throwing 106 pitches (77 strikes) in nine innings in his 11-strikeout, one-walk gem against the Nationals, the first complete game of his career and first by a Braves pitcher since the 2016 season.
The hard-throwing righthander had only one threeball count in the first seven innings against the Nationals, but the Padres were more patient and worked deeper into counts. Three of Foltynewicz’s eight strikeouts came against No. 2 hitter Eric Hosmer, who whiffed with bases loaded to end a two-run second inning after the Padres took the lead.
The Padres sent eight batters to the plate in the second and got four hits and a walk, including Cory Spangenberg’s RBI triple immediately after a Hunter Renfroe leadoff single.
The Padres added a run in the eighth inning against Dan Winkler on a Freddy Galvis squeeze bunt before Hand completed a two-inning save for the Padres.
Winkler was second among major league relievers with a 0.74 ERA before Wednesday, when the Padres snapped his string of 19 appearances without an earned run. Jose Pirela led off the eighth with a single against Winkler, and Spangenberg singled with one out to put runners on the corners before Galvis executed a perfect squeeze bunt to push the Padres’ lead to 3-1, only the second earned run off Winkler this season.