Padres thump Braves
ATLANTA — San Diego Padres second baseman Ian Kinsler needed a game like this. So did his teammates. Kinsler homered and drove in two runs, and Wil Myers also went deep as San Diego earned a split of its series in Atlanta by routing the Braves 11-2 on Thursday afternoon, a rare easy victory for this year’s Padres.
Matt Strahm (1-2) pitched six innings and benefited from a 17-hit barrage.
After breaking out of an 0-for-14 slump Wednesday night with his first multi-hit game this season, Kinsler added three more hits.
“Hitting is contagious,” said Kinsler, who raised his average to .174. “This game is results-oriented. It’s nice to
have results for sure.”
The Padres broke it open with a five-run fifth inning, helped by an errant throw from Atlanta pitcher Mike Foltynewicz (0-1) that allowed four unearned runs to score. San Diego added five runs in the sixth — the first time since 2000 they have scored five runs in consecutive innings.
It was the biggest win of 2019 to date for the Padres, who walked a fine line through
the first month of the season. Eight of their 18 wins have been by a single run, with five more by two runs.
“A game like that is a breath of fresh air,” Kinsler said.
Strahm blanked the Braves until Nick Markakis hit a tworun single in the sixth. The Padres left-hander allowed eight hits in six innings, struck out six and didn’t walk anyone.
“I had a little hiccup in the sixth,” Strahm said. “Otherwise, everything was feeling good.”
Kinsler homered off Foltynewicz in the third and came through again in the fifth, doubling to left-center field to bring home another run. The Padres were just getting started, sending 10 batters to the plate and knocking out Foltynewicz, who gave up eight hits and six runs — two earned — in 4 2/3 innings.
Myers hit a two-run homer off Shane Carle in the sixth and finished with three RBIs. Eric Hosmer drove in two runs.
The game was so out of hand, the Braves turned to utility man Charlie Culberson to pitch the ninth, moving the former Calhoun High School standout from left field to make his second MLB appearance on the mound.
He allowed a hit and walked two batters but drew a big cheer from what was left of the crowd by escaping a bases-loaded jam, getting Francisco Mejia on a flyout to deep center. Culberson also got his first MLB strikeout when Manuel Margot was caught looking on what was supposed to be a slider.
Quipped Culberson: “I was just winging it.”
Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. would prefer to forget about his performance. The center fielder got a late jump on a ball in the fifth, allowing it to drop in front of him for a hit as he attempted to make a sliding catch. That play, combined with Foltynewicz’s throwing error, led to the Padres’ first big inning.
“That’s got to be caught,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Acuña also came up short in the sixth after making a long run to right-center, with the ball deflecting off his glove for a triple. Capping a dismal afternoon, the youngster was caught off second base as part of a double play that ended an Atlanta threat in the bottom half of that inning.
Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson missed his third straight game because of a sore right calf.
The Padres won two of four games in Atlanta after going 1-10 on their previous trips to Georgia dating to 2016. Still, they haven’t won a series at the home of the Braves since September 2013.
The Braves begin a 10-game road trip with Friday’s 7:10 p.m. game against the Miami Marlins. Right-hander Kevin Gausman (1-2, 4.80) will take the mound for Atlanta against Jose Ureña (1-4, 5.08), who will face Atlanta for the first time since he was accused of intentionally plunking Acuña with a pitch last August.
“That’s in the past,” Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte said. “We’re just ready to play ball.”