SAN DIEGO – The Braves trailed by three runs against the Padres after two innings and tied it in the top of the fifth. They fell behind by four runs after Manny Machado’s grand slam off starter Huascar Ynoa in the bottom of the fifth, and tied it again with four runs in the top of the sixth, including Jorge Soler’s three-run homer.
They trailed again after Chris Martin gave up a run in the sixth, and the Braves tied the score once more in the ninth on Eddie Rosario’s two-out single against Mark Melancon.
And then, playing in front of an energized crowd of more than 39,000 at San Diego, where the Padres were desperately fighting to avoid elimination from postseason contention, the Braves eliminated them.
In the 10th inning, Atlanta got a run-scoring double from Soler and an Ozzie Albies sacrifice fly to take a 10-8 lead, before embattled closer Will Smith made it stand with a perfect inning that included two strikeouts.
Whew.
