Finally! A win for the Atlanta Braves. Can we just attribute this win entirely to Javier Vazquez. He threw 7 innings of shutout ball, walked none, gave up only 5 hits, drove in a run, and struck out 6, all while only throwing 88 pitches (and an amazing 63 for strikes). If we had needed him to he probably could have gone nine innings and captured a shutout, but with a 9-run lead there was no reason to over extend him. The fact that this was only his 11th win is a shame. This should have been win number 17 or 18.
The Braves offense had a second inning full of singles and a Padres error, which led to five runs. On the night, only one of the Braves 17 hits went for extra bases -- the solo homerun by Adam LaRoche in the sixth inning. Chipper Jones picked up a couple of hits, and could have gotten another if not for a terrific diving catch from the Padres center fielder -- the young Tony Gwynn. If he had not laid out for the ball it would have been a 3-run double for Chipper. Every Braves player in the starting lineup got a hit, including Vazquez.
Way to salvage at least one win in the series...