Mired in a 4-for-41 slump to open the season, Tommy Pham snapped out of his funk with a bases-clearing double in the top of the eighth inning Monday night in Atlanta. Pham’s drive into the left-center field gap with the bases loaded with the key blow in a six-run rally that lifted the San Diego Padres to a 6-3 victory over the Braves.
San Diego (6-5) snapped its three-game losing streak and has now beaten Atlanta in all four meetings so far this season.
Behind Mike Foltynewicz, the Braves took a 3-0 lead into the eighth, with the Atlanta starter having allowed just one hit – a single to Jurickson Profar in the sixth. But the Padres got up off the mat with a Wil Myers single and Trent Grisham walk to open the eighth.
Shane Greene was summoned from the Atlanta pen and gave up a hit to pinch-hitter Greg Garcia, a bases-loaded walk to another pinch-hitter Josh Naylor and a run-scoring single to Fernando Tatis, Jr. to make it 3-2. Pham then put the Padres ahead with his three-run hit.
The rally made a winner of Garrett Richards (2-0), who limited Atlanta to just three hits and two earned runs over seven innings. The Braves had scored twice in the second, before adding to their lead on Ronald Acuna, Jr.’s solo home run in the fourth.
