Padres 4 - 3 Braves
Final
  for this game

Padres rally past Braves

Sep 14, 2013 - 3:17 AM Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Logan Forsythe's go-ahead, two-out RBI single in the top of the eighth inning helped the San Diego Padres rally for a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves in the opener of a three-game set.

The Padres trailed 3-0 after six innings, but plated a pair in the seventh and added two more in the eighth against the vaunted Braves bullpen to surge ahead.

With the bases loaded and none away for the Padres in the seventh following three straight singles off Luis Ayala, another base hit, this one by Jesus Guzman against Luis Avilan, brought home a run. Chris Denorfia lifted a sacrifice fly to right later in the frame against David Carpenter to bring the Friars within a run.

Chase Headley led off the eighth with a homer to right off Jordan Walden (4-3). Tommy Medica worked a one-out walk two batters later and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Ronny Cedeno lined out. Scott Downs replaced Walden on the mound to face the pinch-hitter Forsythe, who slapped a base hit to right-center and plate Medica for the go-ahead run.

"I thought our guys just kept battling, having good at-bats. I felt like we kept the pressure on," Headley said.

Nick Vincent (5-3) was credited with the win after striking out the side in the seventh, Luke Gregerson spun a scoreless eighth and Huston Street fired a 1-2-3 ninth to notch his 30th save of the year.

San Diego has won five of its last seven games.

David Hale fanned nine and surrendered just four hits and a walk over five scoreless frames in his first MLB start for the Braves, who are 3-6 over their last nine games.

"Hale was outstanding," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He was right out there at 90 pitches and that's what we targeted."

Hale threw 87 pitches.

The game was scoreless through the first three innings before the Braves went deep twice in the fourth.

Justin Upton led off the inning with a towering shot down the left field line. Freddie Freeman then singled and Brian McCann stepped up two batters later and cracked his 20th homer of the year, a blast over the wall in right, to give Atlanta a 3-0 cushion.

Game Notes

San Diego starter Ian Kennedy allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over five frames ... Hale had never struck out more than six at Triple-A Gwinett this season ... Upton recorded an RBI for the first time in 18 games, the longest stretch of his career.






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