SANTANA STELLAR AS BRAVES 1-HIT PADS

Only 4 Hits in Entire Game

ATLANTA, July 28 (AP) – Ervin Santana fired eight innings of one-hit ball and Craig Kimbrel tossed a perfect ninth for his 34^th save as the Atlanta Braves defeated the San Diego Padres 2-0 at Turner Field.  It was the 17^th time the Padres have been shut out thus far this season, the most in the major leagues.  With the victory Santana improves to 7-2 at home this year.  The Padres wasted a strong debut start from Jason Lane, who surrendered just two runs (one earned) in seven innings of work.

The Braves scored the only run they would need in the bottom of the second.  Justin Upton led off the inning with a base hit to right and took second on catcher Yasmani Grandal’s passed ball.  Jason Heyward’s ground out to second moved Upton the third and Evan Gattis’ sacrifice fly to deep left plated the game’s first run.  Upton’s solo home run in the bottom of the second provided Atlanta with some insurance.

Santana held the Padres without a hit into the sixth inning but Will Venable spoiled the Braves right-hander’s quest for immortality with a clean single to right-center field.  It would be the only hit the Padres would get in the entire game.  Santana walked two batters and struck out seven while never allowing a San Diego baserunner to advance past first base.

With Santana at 110 pitches through eight, Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez pinch hit for his starter in the bottom of the eighth and, in the top of the ninth, summoned closer Craig Kimbrel to the mound.  The right-hander quickly dispatched the Padres, setting them down in order to earn the save.

The teams combined for only four hits in the game, setting a new combined teams major league season low.  The previous low mark of five had been accomplished four times, twice in games involving San Diego.

7/28/2014, SD14-Atl14, Turner Field

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP

2014 Padres            0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     0  1  0     2  0

2014 Braves            0  1  0  0  0  0  1  0  x     2  3  0     2  1

Padres               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Braves               AB  R  H BI   AVG

Amarista          ss  4  0  0  0  .177    Schafer,J         cf  4  0  0  0  .171

Solarte           3b  4  0  0  0  .260    Gosselin          2b  3  0  0  0  .000

Smith,S           rf  2  0  0  0  .259    Freeman,F         1b  3  0  0  0  .311

Grandal           c   3  0  0  0  .189    Upton,J           lf  3  2  2  1  .253

Medica            lf  3  0  0  0  .223    Heyward           rf  2  0  1  0  .253

Alonso            1b  3  0  0  0  .214    Gattis            c   2  0  0  1  .289

Gyorko            2b  2  0  0  0  .187    Johnson,C         3b  3  0  0  0  .258

Venable           cf  3  0  1  0  .229    Simmons,A         ss  3  0  0  0  .228

Lane              p   2  0  0  0  .000    Santana,E         p   2  0  0  0  .159

 Vincent          p   0  0  0  0  .000     Doumit           ph  1  0  0  0  .223

 Denorfia         ph  1  0  0  0  .228     Kimbrel          p   0  0  0  0  .000

                     27  0  1  0                               26  2  3  2

Padres                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Lane             L 0-1           7.0  3  2  1  1  3  79  56  2.53

Vincent                          1.0  0  0  0  0  1   7   5  0.28

                                 8.0  3  2  1  1  4  86  61

Braves                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Santana,E        W 8-9           8.0  1  0  0  2  7 110  71  3.41

Kimbrel          S 34            1.0  0  0  0  0  1  18  11  0.60

                                 9.0  1  0  0  2  8 128  82

SD : Denorfia batted for Vincent in the 9th

Atl: Doumit batted for Santana,E in the 8th

HR-Upton,J(17). RBI-Upton,J(53), Gattis(40). K-Amarista, Grandal, Medica 2,

Gyorko, Lane 2, Denorfia, Schafer,J, Gattis 2, Santana,E. BB-Smith,S, Gyorko,

Heyward. SF-Gattis. PB-Grandal.

GWRBI: Gattis

Temperature: 86, Sky: clear, Wind: in from center at 17 MPH.

Attendance: 18,521

Game Time: 2:08