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Braves-Padres Preview

Apr 13, 2010 - 5:03 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Atlanta (3-4) at San Diego (3-4), 10:05 p.m. EDT

Most visiting pitchers relish the chance to pitch in San Diego, where a Padres team that had the worst offense in the majors last year plays in one of the league's most spacious ballparks.

Atlanta's Tommy Hanson, however, might be a bit wary.

After the Padres piled up 17 runs in their home opener against the Braves, they'll try to stay hot against the young right-hander as the teams continue their three-game set Wednesday night.

San Diego (3-4) ranked last in the majors in both runs per game (3.94) and batting average (.242) last season, and the club's offense didn't look any more promising on a six-game road trip to open 2010 as it totaled 19 runs.

But the Padres nearly equaled that total Monday, scoring 10 in the fourth inning and setting a Petco Park single-game record for runs in a 17-2 win.

The outcome was even more unlikely considering slugger Adrian Gonzalez had just one hit and one RBI. Outfielders Kyle Blanks and Will Venable paced the attack, each totaling three hits and a home run, with Blanks contributing a career-high five RBIs.

Chase Headley went 2 for 4, extending his hit streak to seven and improving his team-leading average to .448.

"It definitely shows that we were definitely on our game at the plate," Blanks said. "I believe every starter had a hit (Monday). It's nice to see that from everybody, and obviously it showed on the scoreboard. If every game could be like that, it'd definitely be a perfect world."

The Padres will have difficulty replicating that output against Hanson, who finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2009.

The 23-year-old Hanson (0-1, 3.38 ERA) hopes to steady the Braves (3-4), who've lost four of five - a stretch that started with Hanson on the mound. He allowed two runs and four hits in 5 1-3 innings of Thursday's 2-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

"I think that's one of those times when I didn't pitch that good and still did OK," Hanson told the Braves' official Web site. "I know I can do better than that and have a lot better results. I'm just looking forward to my second start. To be honest, I try not to think about that first one too much."

The Southern California native won his only previous start against the Padres, giving up two runs in six innings of a 6-2 victory at Petco Park on Aug. 5.

San Diego's Clayton Richard wasn't nearly as successful in his lone outing against the Braves. The left-hander lasted 2 1-3 innings, allowing six runs and nine hits in a 9-1 loss at Atlanta on Aug. 27.

Richard (0-1, 3.86) lost Friday but pitched well in his 2010 debut, allowing three runs in seven innings of a 7-0 loss at Colorado.

"I just got outpitched," Richard told the Padres' official Web site. "I just threw OK. I made pitches for the most part. There were only a couple of pitches I wish I could take back."

The Braves hope to become the first team to beat Richard at Petco Park. In six home starts since joining the Padres at the 2009 trade deadline, Richard is 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA.