Ha-Seong Kim hit a three-run homer to help the visiting San Diego Padres rally for an 11-6 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.
The Braves scored four times in the sixth inning to take a 6-4 lead, but Kim belted a 2-0 fastball from reliever Will Smith in the seventh to put the Padres back on top. San Diego put it away with four runs in the ninth, three of those coming on a pinch-hit double by Trent Grisham.
Kim was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, three runs scored and his fourth home run to spark a 16-hit attack, which included three hits each from Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers. Manny Machado saw his seven-game hitting streak end, but he extended his on-base streak to 22 games with a walk.
The winning pitcher was Luis Garcia (1-2), who tossed one scoreless inning. Taylor Rogers got four outs for his 13th save.
Smith (0-1) took the loss after yielding three runs in his lone inning.
Neither starter was involved in the decision. Atlanta’s Max Fried allowed four runs on nine hits, a season-high two walks and six strikeouts in six innings. San Diego’s Yu Darvish pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on nine hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Jose Azocar’s sacrifice fly.
The Braves got the run back in the bottom of the third on a 417-foot solo homer by William Contreras, his fourth.
The Padres scored twice in the fifth on Hosmer’s bases-loaded single. The Braves intentionally walked Manny Machado to face Hosmer, who produced his 22nd and 23rd RBIs.
Atlanta cut the deficit to 3-2 on Dansby Swanson’s RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. The Padres made it 4-2 on Myers’ solo homer, his first of the year, in the sixth.
The Braves responded in the bottom of sixth with two outs. Ozzie Albies doubled and scored when Myers misplayed Adam Duvall’s fly to right field for a single. Dansby Swanson completed the rally with a three-run homer off Robert Suarez, his third, to put Atlanta ahead 6-4.
–Field Level Media
