Padres’ Game 1 comeback highlights doubleheader

ATLANTA — After the Padres were swept by the Rockies to fall below .500 last week, San Diego needed to bounce back. But the trip apparently didn’t get any easier with a four-game series in Atlanta looming.

The Padres certainly bounced back, winning three of four games against the Braves as San Diego continued its dominance at Truist Park.

The series may have ended on a sour note – a 3-0 loss in the final – but there were plenty of positives for San Diego.

After splitting Monday’s day-night doubleheader with the Braves, the Padres have won 10 of their last 14 games at Truist Park dating back to 2021.

“It’s not an (easy environment to play in),” Padres manager Mike Shildt said of his team’s dominance in Atlanta. “I can’t explain (winning in Atlanta). I would like to. We would bottle it (to the top). The guys are ready to play here and we are having good results.

“We’re always looking to win series and the guys played really well. They played good baseball all the time and fought. We’ll take three out of four and move on.

The Padres (25-25) won the first two games by scores of 3-1 and 9-1. In those games, San Diego’s starting pitchers held the Braves (27-17) to one run on seven hits. Matt Waldron and Yu Darvish combined to strike out 19 Atlanta batters, issuing three walks.

Best of all, Darvish became the third Japanese-born player to reach 200 combined wins between MLB (107) and Nippon Professional Baseball (93).

Games 3 and 4 were played as a doubleheader on Monday after bad weather postponed Saturday’s game. The Padres used a five-run comeback to win Game 3, 6-5, before Atlanta got the nightcap back.

In Game 3, Atlanta took a 5-0 lead, but Manny Machado and Co. came roaring back with six unanswered runs, including a four-run eighth in which the Padres took their first lead of the game.

“I love this team,” Shildt said after the return. “I love his courage. This is the definition of winners who find solutions. (I) give credit to a lot of guys there.

Dylan Cease started Game 3 and struggled in his return to his home state of Georgia. He allowed five runs on nine hits in four innings. He struck out five and walked two.

San Diego’s bullpen picked up Cease, however, as four pitchers combined for five scoreless innings of relief.

“What a comeback,” Cease said. “They definitely came for me today. I didn’t execute well. I didn’t find the rhythm. And (the Braves) just had a lot of good at-bats. I was beaten today. (It was a) great recovery by the bullpen. It just shows the fight this team has.

In the series, the Padres bullpen pitched 12 1/3 innings while allowing just one run.

“(Enyel De Los Santos) and Wandy Peralta were good today in the seventh and eighth (of the final),” Shildt said. “We did a really good bullpen job the first two games with (Jeremiah) Estrada and (Robert) Suarez. The guys were getting really big wins. They did a good job.

Strong bullpen work set the stage for Game 1’s comeback and San Diego’s offensive blowout against Braves reliever Joe Jiménez. Before Monday, Jiménez had only allowed points in two of his 17 outings this season.

Machado and Jake Cronenworth were the heroes, as they each scored two runs in the eighth.

“(I’ve been going against) (Jiménez) for a while now and it’s tough,” Machado said. “He’s got some good stuff – a good fastball and a good slider. I’m just trying to get something in the zone. There walked (Jurickson) Profar. It was a big walk. Obviously, (Ha-Seong Kim) started the inning as well. We started and we tried to get them in the zone and do some damage.

The Padres ran into a buzzsaw named Chris Sale in the series finale. Sale went seven scoreless innings, allowing just five hits and striking out nine.

“I thought the sale was really good,” Shildt said. “He changed gears. The side stuff was really good. The fastball had some life. He threw very well.

Bogaerts did not play in the series finale, with Luis Arraez replacing him at second base.