The Padres and Braves fought the elements again Wednesday – spoiler alert, the rain won – and will have to complete a doubleheader at a later date.
The Padres won the first game 3-2 following five innings of scoreless ball by starter Chris Paddack (6-6). Closer Mark Melancon, who continues to lead the MLB in saves, logged his 28th.
Paddack said he “didn’t have his wipeout stuff today,” but was able to mix his fastball, changeup and curveball to good enough effect. Manager Jayce Tingler praised “how efficient and how good he was.”
The Padres built their lead on the strength of a Ha-Seong Kim sacrifice fly in the 4th inning and a Fernando Tatis Jr. two-run home run in the 5th. Tatis leads the National League with 29 homers.
After Monday’s rainout, the Friars and Braves again faced a protracted rain delay in the second game, with the Padres up 5-4 in the 5th. They had hoped to resume by 8 p.m. Atlanta time, but gave up entirely at about 10:30 p.m.
Both teams enjoyed early four-run innings, as the Padres jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the 1st – topped off by Kim’s 2-RBI double – only to have the Braves match them in the 2nd.
Tingler said the game, as yet unscheduled, will resume in the 5th inning, and be played to seven innings, the current rules for doubleheaders. The team is done in Atlanta for the year, but will welcome the Braves to San Diego to close out the final home stand of the year.
The Padres move on to Miami next to open up a four-game series against the Marlins, with Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Ryan Weathers and Yu Darvish set to start.