A ninth-inning baserunning gaffe by Eli White sealed the Brave's fate and overshadowed the triumphant return of superstar Ronald Acuña Jr.

The projected starter for the Padres was Michael King and he was scratched from his start with shoulder tightness less than an hour before game time. San Diego was forced into a bullpen game, which allowed Sean Reynolds to make his first MLB start. Reynolds allowed three runs in 2 2/3 innings on six hits.

Ronald Acuña Jr. homered for the second straight game in his return from a nearly year-long absence due to a knee injury, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres.

Ronald Acuna Jr. homered for the second straight game and Grant Holmes pitched seven strong innings to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 7-1 win over the visiting San Diego Padres on Saturday and even their three-game series.

Padres have lost six in a row to fall into third in NL West; Braves have rebounded since losing first seven games of the season

Perhaps a trip to Atlanta was just what the doctor ordered for Manny Machado and the recently struggling Padres. San Diego entered Friday night’s series opener against the Braves with a six-game losing streak,