Read More: Heath Bell (P – SDP), Chad Qualls (P – SDP), Dan Uggla (2B – ATL), Aaron Harang (P – SDP), Ryan Ludwick (LF – SDP), Brian McCann (C – ATL), Tim Hudson (P – ATL), Martin Prado (LF – ATL), George Sherrill (P – ATL), Eric Patterson (CF – SDP), Alberto Gonzalez (SS – SDP), Jordan Schafer (CF – ATL), Freddie Freeman (1B – ATL), San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves dropped their Memorial Day match up with the San Diego Padres 3-2 in 10 innings. San Diego’s Kyle Philips solo home run in the tenth off of George Sherrill provided the difference. Extra inning affairs are becoming the norm for the Braves who have now played eight extra-inning games in their last eighteen overall. 

Tim Hudson returned to the mound after skipping a turn with a sore back. The Padres got on the board early in the first. Eric Patterson singled to start the game, stole second, and then reached third on a Tim Hudson throwing error. Patterson scored on a Ryan Ludwick ground out giving San Diego a 1-0 lead. 

Atlanta answered right back in the bottom half. Jordan Schafer worked a walk to lead off the game but was erased on a Martin Prado fielders choice. Brian McCann then drove a deep double to center field that scored Prado from first. 

The Padres added another run in the third. With one out, Aaron Harang and Eric Patterson recorded back to back singles. Alberto Gonzalez then flew out to Jordan Schafer in center who threw behind Harang at second after the pitcher had wandered too far off the bag. However, Dan Uggla couldn’t handle the throw and Harang was safe at second with two outs. Ludwick followed with an RBI single, giving the Padres back the lead at 2-1. 

Once again Atlanta answered right back in the bottom half of the inning. After a Martin Prado one out double, Brian McCann singled to right scoring Prado and once again tying the game. 

The score would remain 2-2 until the top half of the tenth when Phillips homered off of Sherrill. The blast was Phillips’ first Major League home run. Atlanta went quietly in the bottom half of the tenth against closer Heath Bell. 

Hudson looked sharp and recovered from his back injury. He lasted six innings, allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out seven. Sherrill takes the loss for the Braves evening his record on the season at 1-1. Chad Qualls earns the victory for the Padres with a scoreless inning of relief work. Heath Bell came on for his 13th save of the season. 

Brian McCann accounted for both of the Braves runs while going 3 for 5 at the plate. Freddie Freeman added two hits while Jordan Schafer was 1 for 3 with two walks. Ryan Ludwick and Eric Patterson each had two hits for the Padres. 

ATLANTA, Georgia — Pinch-hitter Kyle Phillips broke a 2-all tie in the 10th inning with his first career home run and the San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 Monday for their third straight win.

Phillips, a rookie with a .167 average in 30 at-bats, led off the inning and hit the second pitch from George Sherrill (1-1).

Heath Bell pitched the 10th for his 13th save in 14 opportunities. Chad Qualls (3-2) earned the victory with a scoreless ninth, giving up one walk and facing four batters.

For a fourth straight start, San Diego’s Aaron Harang didn’t earn a decision, but he was sharp, allowing six hits, two runs and two walks with five strikeouts.

In his past three starts, Harang has a 1.29 ERA.

Tim Hudson, the Braves’ starter, allowed five hits and two runs — one earned — with no walks and seven strikeouts in six innings.

Hudson missed his previous start with lower stiffness.

The Padres led 1-0 in the first when Eric Patterson singled, stole second, moved to third on Hudson’s pickoff attempt and scored on Ryan Ludwick’s RBI groundout.

Atlanta tied it at 1-1 on Brian McCann’s RBI double.

In the third, San Diego went up 2-1 on Ludwick’s RBI bloop single. The 6-foot-7, 261-pound Harang lumbered around from second to score.

McCann’s RBI single scored Martin Prado from second to make it 2-2 in Atlanta’s third.

Scott Proctor pitched a scoreless seventh, Cory Gearrin a scoreless eighth for Atlanta and Jonny Venters a scoreless ninth after escaping a bases-loaded jam for Atlanta.

San Diego reliever Ernest Frieri escaped a jam in the seventh with a runners on first and third when Martin Prado popped out. In the eighth, Mike Adams stranded a pair of runners in eighth by striking out Alex Gonzalez.

Bell earned the save on flyouts by Prado and McCann and a strikeout of Eric Hinske.

Ludwick, who has 22 RBIs this month, began the day tied for third in the NL this month with 20.

A pair of veteran pitchers will go toe-to-toe today at
Turner Field, where Tim Hudson will lead his Atlanta Braves against Aaron
Harang and the San Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series.

Hudson hasn’t won since a May 4 performance versus Milwaukee, going 0-2 with a
7.47 earned run average in three starts since. He previously took the hill in
a 9-0 defeat against the Angels in Anaheim and allowed eight runs on seven
hits and three walks in a season-low 3 2/3 innings.

The right-hander, who is 4-4 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts this season, will
try to stay unbeaten in his career against San Diego. Hudson has faced the
Padres nine times in his career — making eight starts — and is 5-0 with a
3.54 earned run average.

Atlanta won two of three matchups with Cincinnati over the weekend and is
coming off Sunday night’s 2-1 victory over the Reds. Martin Prado’s two-run
homer in the sixth inning was the difference and Jair Jurrjens pushed his
record to 7-1 with eight innings of one-run ball. Craig Kimbrel notched his
15th save with a scoreless ninth.

“JJ gave us everything he had,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “It was a
good ballgame.”

Prado also made a great throw from left field in the eighth inning to gun down
Paul Janish at the plate and preserve the lead. Atlanta has won five of its
last seven games, while Braves catcher Brian McCann got Sunday off after
belting two homers in an extra-inning win over Cincinnati on Saturday. David
Ross was behind the plate last night and went 1-for-3.

McCann is expected to be back in the lineup today and is batting .471 with two
homers and five RBI against Harang. Harang has recorded three straight no-
decisions since beating Arizona on May 8 and last pitched in Tuesday’s 3-2
loss versus St. Louis. He gave up two runs — one earned — in seven innings.

The right-hander lost to Atlanta on April 26 in an 8-2 setback, as he allowed
all eight runs in six innings. Harang is 1-3 with a 4.72 earned run average in
eight career starts against the Braves.

San Diego won two of three matchups in Washington and won for the third time
in four tries with Sunday’s 5-4 triumph. Ryan Ludwick singled home Jorge Cantu
with one out in the top of the ninth inning for the Padres, who got three hits
out of Ludwick and two hits and two RBI from Brad Hawpe.

Dustin Moseley started for the Friars and did not record a decision after he
gave up three runs — two earned — in five innings. Luke Gregerson earned the
win in relief, tossing two scoreless frames, and Heat Bell closed the door in
the ninth for his 12th save.

“We had a tough stretch over the last 10 games,” Padres manager Bud Black said
on the club’s site. “We have to play a better, complete game all around.
Everyone’s got to pick it up.”

San Diego outfielder Cameron Maybin could be back in the starting lineup today
and missed both weekend games to rest a sore right knee.

The Padres are 2-1 on a six-game road trip through Washington and Atlanta. The
Braves won two of three meetings in San Diego from April 25-27 and have won
six of the previous eight matchups between the two clubs.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

By Kris Willis

– College Hoops Editor

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May 30, 2011 – Atlanta opens up a three game set with the visiting San Diego Padres at 1:05 p.m. on Memorial Day. The Braves (30-24) are 3.5 games back of the first place Philadelphia Phillies and 1.5 back of second place Florida. After dropping the opener against Cincinnati, Atlanta rallied to win the final two games of the series. The Braves are 5-5 in their last ten games.

San Diego (22-31) is dead last in the National League West, seven games behind first place Arizona. The Padres took two out of three from Washington over the weekend and have won three of their last four games. The Braves took two of three from the Padres in late April in San Diego. 

Pitching Match-ups

Monday – 1:05 p.m.

Tim Hudson (4-4, 3.95 ERA)

Vs. 

Aaron Harang (5-2, 3.96 ERA)

Tuesday – 7:10 p.m.

Mike Minor (0-1, 5.40 ERA)

Vs.

Mat Latos (2-6, 4.08 ERA)

Wednesday – 7:10 p.m. 

Tommy Hanson (5-4, 2.80 ERA)

Vs. 

Clayton Richard (2-5, 4.42 ERA)

Read More: Aaron Harang (P – SDP), Tim Hudson (P – ATL), Clayton Richard (P – SDP), Mat Latos (P – SDP), Tommy Hanson (P – ATL), Mike Minor (P – ATL), San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves

As they get set to face the Atlanta Braves, the light-hitting San Diego
Padres are coming off one of their best performances at the plate in nearly two
weeks.

Judging by their recent games against Tim Hudson(notes), the Padres’ chances of
building on that effort and tying their longest win streak of the season don’t
look promising in Monday’s opener of a three-game series.

Already among the least productive teams in the majors, the Padres (22-31)
batted .186 and scored 15 runs during a recent 3-8 stretch. San Diego, hitting
.227 and averaging 3.4 runs on the season, broke out of that slump with 10 hits
in Sunday’s 5-4 victory in Washington.

Ryan Ludwick(notes) went 3 for 4 and drove in the go-ahead run on an infield single
in the ninth inning. The Padres were 4 for 10 with runners in scoring position
after going 6 for 55 in RBI situations over their previous 11 games.

“We had a tough stretch over the last 10 games,” manager Bud Black told the
team’s official website. “We have to play a better, complete game all around.
Everyone’s got to pick it up.”

Ludwick is batting .361 with 17 RBIs in his last 16 games after posting a
.181 average through his first 33. He’s 1 for 4 in his career against Hudson
(4-4, 3.95 ERA), who is 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA in his last five matchups with the
Padres. The most recent came July 22 at Turner Field, where he allowed four hits
over seven innings of an 8-0 win.

This will be the first appearance for Hudson since he suffered from back
stiffness in a 9-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on May 20. The right-hander
gave up a season-high eight runs over 3 2-3 innings in that game after going 2-1
with a 2.27 ERA in his previous five starts.

With an MRI revealing inflammation, manager Fredi Gonzalez decided to skip
Hudson’s turn in the rotation Wednesday. Following a Friday bullpen session,
Hudson gave a positive report.

“It feels good,” he told the Braves’ official website. “It feels a lot
better than it did. I’ve been doing a lot of therapy.”

The Braves (30-24) enter this series having won six of seven at home and
five of seven overall. Martin Prado’s(notes) home run proved the difference in a 2-1
victory over Cincinnati on Sunday night.

Prado and his Atlanta teammates will try to keep rolling with another strong
performance against Aaron Harang(notes) (5-2, 3.96).

The Braves touched up the right-hander for a season-high eight runs over six
innings during an 8-2 victory April 26. Harang has not recorded a decision in
his last three starts, but has allowed one earned run in 15 innings over his
last two.

The right-hander gave up two runs – one earned – over seven innings of
Tuesday’s 11-inning, 3-2 loss to St. Louis.

“He feels good and he’s getting his delivery to where it used to be,”
pitching coach Darren Balsley told the Padres’ website. “A lot of it is being
comfortable.”

The Padres haven’t looked comfortable while losing 27 of their last 38
matchups with the Braves, but playing in daylight may help them. San Diego is
14-7 in day games this season, compared with an 8-24 mark under the lights.

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 29, 2011

WASHINGTON — These days, five runs qualifies as an offensive outburst for the San Diego Padres. On Sunday, their fifth run came on a single that barely left the infield. It was just enough for a win.

The Padres’ 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals was just their fourth in 12 games — and the only time in that stretch they scored more than three runs.

With Jorge Cantu on second and two outs in the ninth, Ryan Ludwick hit a slow roller up the middle that Ian Desmond fielded in short center. It dribbled off his glove, and Cantu lumbered around third and narrowly beat Desmond’s throw home.

After scoring just 15 runs in the previous 11 games, those five runs looked big – sort of.

“I think everyone looks at our offense and kind of says, ‘It’s not the best offense in the world,”‘ Ludwick said.

That might be an understatement. The Padres have the worst offense in baseball with a .227 average. The Nationals are hitting just two points better, and to form, the first two games of the series ended 2-1, with each team winning one. On Sunday, the teams, which combined for 19 hits in the first two games, had 21.

In the Padres recent slump they were just 6 for 55 with runners in scoring position. This time, they were 4 for 10.

“We’ve had a tough stretch here over the last 10 games or so,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “We have to play a better complete game all around.”

Ludwick had three hits and two RBI and Brad Hawpe had two hits and two RBI.

With the game tied at 4 in the ninth, Cantu broke an 0-for-13 slump with a double to right off Drew Storen (4-2). Then came the small, big hit that Desmond made a fine play to even touch.

“I knew it was in. I didn’t think he was going to get to it,” Ludwick said. “I thought he did a great job getting a glove on it.”

Not everyone thought so.

“I don’t really know why it was great,” Desmond said.

“The guy scored — and we lost the game,” Desmond said. “It wasn’t very great to me. This isn’t going to cut it.”

Luke Gregerson (2-1), the third Padres pitcher, pitched two scoreless innings for the win. Heath Bell worked the ninth for his 12th save in 13 chances.

Washington, losers of nine of 11, were led by Jayson Werth with three hits.

Ever since the Nationals scored a franchise-record 17 runs against Baltimore on May 20, they’ve lost seven of eight and scored more than four runs just once.

“It’s not luck. We’re not unlucky,” Desmond said. “We’ve got runners in scoring position, and we can’t score.”

In the first, Washington leadoff batter Roger Bernadina reached on an error by Hawpe at first. He stole second and advanced to third on Desmond’s bunt single. Werth singled to right to score Bernadina and Desmond scored on Laynce Nix’s sacrifice fly.

Yunesky Maya, recalled earlier Sunday by the Nationals, allowed just one hit in his first three innings.

In the fourth,the Padres scored when Jason Bartlett led off with a double and scored on Ludwick’s single.

In the fifth, they scored three runs. Logan Forsythe led off with a single, pitcher Moseley bunted him to second, and with two outs, Bartlett and Ludwick walked to load the bases. Hawpe singled to score Forsythe and Bartlett. After Slaten replaced Maya, Ludwick scored on Headley’s double.

Maya who is winless in six career starts, pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and six hits. He walked to and struck out three.

The Nationals made it 4-3 in the fifth on Rick Ankiel’s single off Moseley and Bernadina’s RBI double.

Moseley pitched five innings, allowing three runs — two earned. He walked one and struck out one.

In the sixth, Washington tied the score at 4 on Michael Morse’s fielders choice that scored Werth.

Notes

• Washington 3B Jerry Hairston was suspended one game and fined for “aggressive actions” toward umpire Ed Hickox on Friday night. Hairston, who was celebrating his 35th birthday on Sunday, is appealing the suspension.
• San Diego OF Cameron Maybin, hitless in his last 10 at-bats, was out of the lineup due to knee soreness.
• Maya was the sixth starting pitcher used by the Nationals this season. The Nationals are the last major league team to need a sixth starter.