Padres 10, Braves 1
Tommy Medica enjoyed a career night, going 5-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs as host San Diego captured the opener of a three-game series.
Medica hit a pair of two-run homers in the first three innings and scored four times, and Everth Cabrera added four hits and scored twice as the Padres collected a season-high 20 hits. Eric Stults (4-13) did not allow a hit for the first 4 2/3 innings, giving up one run on two hits with four walks in 6 1/3 innings to win for just the second time in his past 13 starts.
Mike Minor (4-7) surrendered five runs on nine hits in five innings as Atlanta lost its fourth in a row to remain 1 1/2 games behind Washington in the National League East. Chris Johnson finished 2-for-3 with a walk and a RBI.
Medica hit a 1-1 pitch from Minor over the wall in left with two outs in the first to stake the Padres to a 2-0 advantage. San Diego struck for three runs in the third, with Jedd Gyorko’s double to right plating Cabrera before Medica blasted a two-run homer deep into the left-field seats to make it 5-0.
Atlanta scored in the fourth when B.J. Upton reached on Jeff Francoeur’s error to lead off the frame and scored on Johnson’s two-out single to right, the first hit allowed by Stults. Cabrera singled home Abraham Almonte in the sixth to re-establish a five-run cushion, and San Diego blew it open with three runs in the seventh.
GAME NOTEBOOK: San Diego’s previous season high in hits (16) came in Wednesday’s 12-1 victory over St. Louis. … The Padres had scored 31 runs in Stults’ 110 1/3 innings entering Friday’s contest. … Atlanta RF Jason Heyward missed his fourth consecutive contest with a sore back.