Manny Machado hit a pair of home runs and starter Walker Buehler recovered from early troubles to pitch 5 2/3 strong innings and help the visiting San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 8-3 on Tuesday.
The Padres evened the four-game series at one apiece and have won four of five this season against the Braves.
Machado, who went 2-for-5, hit a 412-foot solo homer to left field in the fifth inning and added a 418-foot solo shot to center one inning later.
Machado, who also homered on Monday, has 22 home runs and reached safely in 12 straight games.
The Padres also got home runs from Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. The Tatis homer traveled 474 feet in the eighth inning, the longest struck in the major leagues this season.
Tatis went 3-for-5 with three RBIs.
Buehler appeared to be on the ropes in the second inning when the Braves scored twice and had runners on the corners. But Buehler struck out Ozzie Albies to end the inning and went on to retire 10 straight before walking Matt Olson in the sixth.
Buehler (6-5) allowed two runs on two hits and a season-high five walks, striking out three.
San Diego pitching only allowed four hits, but did walk eight Braves. Atlanta went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine.
The losing pitcher was Reynaldo Lopez (4-3), who struggled during 4 1/3 innings. Lopez allowed five runs on nine hits and three walks, striking out six. It might have been worse; the Atlanta defense turned two double plays while Lopez was in and center fielder Michael Harris II took a home run away from Xander Bogaerts.
The Padres scored a run in the first inning on an RBI single by Ty France, although a double play before that short-circuited the inning. France extended his season-high hitting streak to nine games.
Atlanta took a 2-1 lead when rookie Jim Jarvis tripled into the right field corner to score Mauricio Dubon and Brewer Hicklen.
San Diego scored three times in the fourth to take the lead for the remainder of the game. Merrill led off with a homer to right, his 13th. The Padres added two more runs, the first on Luis Rengifo’s infield grounder and the other on a double by Tatis.
After Machado’s home runs, the Braves made it 6-3 in the seventh when Bradgley Rodriguez balked a run home.
–Field Level Media
