Tim Hudson, Braves shut out Padres, 6-0
ATLANTA — Tim Hudson combined with three relievers for a five-hit shutout, Martin Prado hit a three-run homer, and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 6-0 on Tuesday night.
Hudson (12-4) allowed two hits and one walk in 6 2-3 innings and won his sixth straight decision.
After being held to five hits in a 4-1 loss to Eric Stults and the Padres on Monday night, the Braves had 10 hits, including Dan Uggla’s 14th homer in the fifth inning.
The Braves began the day 5½ games behind first-place Washington in the NL East, their biggest deficit since trailing by 6 games on July 5.
Jonny Venters, Luis Avilan and Craig Kimbrel completed the shutout.
Yonder Alonso led off the ninth with a single off Kimbrel, but he was stranded at third base when Cameron Maybin took a called third strike to end the game.
Clayton Richard (9-12) left the game trailing 3-0 after giving up two hits in the seventh. Prado hit a 3-2 pitch from right-hander Brad Boxberger over the center field wall, pushing the lead to 6-0. It was Prado’s sixth homer of the season and first since June 20.
Richard allowed five runs and nine hits in 6 1-3 innings. The Padres lost for only the third time in 11 games.
San Diego’s only baserunner through four innings came on Chase Headley’s first-inning walk. The Padres’ first hit off Hudson was Mark Kotsay’s single to left field to lead off the fifth. Hudson retired the next seven batters.
Hudson rebounded from his previous start when he gave up a season-high six runs in 4 1-3 innings of a no-decision at Philadelphia.
Richard, coming off 2-0 win over the Cubs, allowed up a run in the first. Michael Bourn led off with a triple and scored on Freddie Freeman’s groundout.
Uggla’s homer to lead off the fifth pushed the lead to 2-0. The Braves added a run in the sixth on three straight singles by Prado, Freeman and Chipper Jones.
Hudson was pulled after giving up a one-out single to Alonso in the seventh.
Padres left-hander Tom Layne, called up from Double-A San Antonio before the game, struck out Brian McCann, Uggla and pinch-hitter Tyler Pastornicky in a perfect eighth inning in his major league debut.
NOTES: Padres LHP Alex Hinshaw was designated for assignment. ... C Yasmani Grandal, on the 15-day DL with a strained right oblique, took batting practice with the Padres before flying to San Diego on Tuesday night. Grandal will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday with Class A Lake Elsinore. ... Kotsay will receive $1.3 million in 2013 under his new deal with the Padres, agreed to last week. ... Braves bench coach Carlos Tosca’s son Matt performed the national anthem on his violin. ... Braves OF Matt Diaz, on the DL since July 21, will have surgery on his injured right thumb on Wednesday. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season. ... Braves LHP Paul Maholm will face Padres RHP Edinson Volquez when the four-game series continues on Wednesday night.