Padres blank Braves to take series

SAN DIEGO — Wil Myers and Hunter Renfroe rocketed a pair of two-run homers off Jaime Garcia changeups and rookie right-hander Dinelson Lamet blanked the Braves for seven innings Thursday night as the Padres scored a 6-0 win in the rubber match of a three-game series with Atlanta at Petco Park.
Lamet, 24, allowed four hits and a walk while striking out eight to improve to 3-2 as the Padres scored a second straight win over the Braves after losing their first five meetings of the season.
Kirby Yates (two strikeouts) and Jose Valdez (three strikeouts) each worked a perfect inning to complete the four-hit shutout — the Padres fifth shutout of the season.
Myers and Renfroe each hit their 16th homers of the season.
Myers capped a three-run third with his 402-foot drive onto the second balcony of the Western Metal Supply Co. building off an 83-mph Garcia changeup.
Two innings later, Renfroe drove an 82-mph Garcia 439-feet to strait-away center. The drive to the base of the batter’s eye was the longest homer at Petco Park this season.
Garcia (2-6) gave up six runs on seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts in six-plus innings.
Jose Pirela singled with one out in the Padres third and scored on Manuel Margot’s double through the gap in left-center. Myers followed with his fifth homer in June off a 1-and-0 pitch.
Myers drew a two-out walk ahead of Renfroe’s blast in the fifth. Renfroe’s sixth homer this month — and first since June 16 — also came on a 1-and-0 changeup.
Lamet retired the first 11 Braves he faced before Nick Markakis singled with two out in the fourth. Only one Brave reached second, that being Ender Inciarte with a lead-off double in the fourth.
Inciarte’s hit triggered the Braves’ biggest threat of the night against Lamet.
Braves manager Brian Snitker came out of the dugout and asked crew chief Mike Winters and plate umpire Jim Reynolds to check the uniform of Padres starter Dinelson Lamet for a foreign substance.
Not only was nothing found, Lamet, who has a habit of running his right hand down the back of his right pant leg between pitches, retired the next three Atlanta hitters — capped by throwing a called third strike past former Padre Matt Kemp to end the inning — to freeze Inciarte at second and preserve the shutout.
The Padres added a sixth run in the bottom of the seventh.
Matt Szczur pinch-hit for Lamet and drew a walk as the last batter Garcia faced. Szczur moved to second and scored on Margot’s second RBI hit, a single off reliever Rex Brothers, who was promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett to replace Bartolo Colon on the Atlanta roster.
NOTES: The Braves designated 44-year-old RHP Bartolo Colon for assignment on Thursday and promoted LHP Rex Brothers from Triple-A Gwinnett. … Colon was 2-8 this season with an 8.14 ERA in 13 starts. He gave up six runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings to the Padres on Wednesday night. “We hated to do it and it wasn’t easy because he’s such a great guy,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker. “But it just wasn’t happening here.” … Brothers, 29, has pitched in parts of five major league seasons with the Colorado Rockies as a reliever. He has a 3.42 ERA in 286 appearances with 20 saves. … The Padres still haven’t announced a starter for Saturday night against the Dodgers, although LHP Dillon Overton is on the same date schedule with Triple-A El Paso. … Braves’ 1B Matt Adams left Thursday night’s game after fouling a pitch off his left foot in his first at-bat. X-rays were negative.