Bullpen implodes as Braves fall to Padres 6-5

Joe Jimenez allowed four runs in the eighth to send the Braves to their fourth straight loss.

Reynaldo Lopez turned in a good performance but the Atlanta Braves squandered a five-run lead in a 6-5 loss to the San Diego Padres

The Braves offense came out swinging against Dylan Cease in the first. Ronald Acuña Jr. singled to start the inning and then moved to third on a single by Ozzie Albies. Marcell Ozuna struck out, but Matt Olson singled to right to put the Braves in front 1-0.

Cease came back and struck out Orlando Arcia for the second out, but Michael Harris followed with a bloop single to left that scored Albies to make it 2-0.

López also got off to a good start. Luis Arraez led off the game with a single, but Lopez came right back and got Fernando Tatis Jr. to bounce into a double play. Jurickson Profar struck out to end the first. After the offense gave him an early lead, he retired the side in order in the second.

Lopez allowed a single to Luis Campusano but nothing else in a scoreless third and Atlanta’s offense got back to work. Ozuna began the inning with his 13th home run of the season to push the Braves’ lead to 3-0. Olson made it back-to-back with his sixth homer of the season to push the lead to 4-0.

The Braves weren’t finished though. Arcia worked a walk. Cease struck out Harris, but then walked Zack Short to put runners at first and second. Jarred Kelenic singled to left to load the bases. Cease struck out Chadwick Tromp for the second out, but Acuña sent a grounder into the hole on the right side that Xander Bogaerts flagged down with a diving stop but was unable to make a play on. A run scored to make it 5-0 and Bogaerts was injured on the play and was replaced by Tyler Wade.

Now with a big lead, Lopez retired the side in order in the fourth, but the Padres scratched across a run in the fifth. Manny Machado doubled to start the fifth. Wade moved him to third with a bunt and he came in to score on a ground out by Jackson Merrill.

Lopez worked another scoreless inning ini the sixth and then came back out for the seventh. He allowed a leadoff single to Profar who then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Lopez then walked Jake Cronenworth to put runners at first and second.

That prompted a visit by Rick Kranitz. Lopez came back and struck out Machado looking for the first out. He would then exit as A.J. Minter entered to face Wade. Mike Shildt countered by sending Donovan Solano up to pinch-hit but Minter struck him out for the second out. Minter jumped ahead of Merrill 1-2, but left a cutter out over the plate that he shot back through the middle to cut the lead to 5-2. Minter got Campusano to pop out to end the inning with no further damage.

It was another great outing for Lopez who gave the Braves some much-needed length. Lopez allowed five hits and two runs over 6 ¹⁄₃ innings. He walked one and struck out four while throwing 83 pitches.

Joe Jimenez took over in the eighth and things unraveled quickly. Kim walked to start the inning. Jimenez retired Arraez on a fly out. Tatis then reached on a grounder to third that Short was unable to handle. Jimenez then walked Profar to load the bases. Cronenworth made him pay with a single to center that scored two more to cut Atlanta’s lead to 5-4. Machado followed with another double to put the Padres in front 6-5.

The Braves went six up and six down in the eighth and ninth to end the game.

It was a disappointing result for Atlanta after building a 5-0 lead. They drop their fourth-straight game and fall to 26-17 on the season. Game 2 will get underway at 6:20 p.m. ET with Chris Sale matching up against Randy Vásquez.