SAN DIEGO — With their new owners watching, Chase Headley and the San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 8-2 Wednesday for their ninth win in 10 games.
Headley hit a two-run single and left-hander Eric Stults won his fourth straight decision as the Padres took two of three from the Braves, who lead the NL wild-card race.
The third generation of the O'Malley family was introduced at a news conference earlier Wednesday, promising to run the Padres in the same first-class manner that Walter and Peter O'Malley once ran the Dodgers. The new ownership group includes Peter O'Malley's sons, Kevin and Brian, and nephews Peter and Tom Seidler. It also includes San Diego businessman Ron Fowler, the executive chairman who has been designated as the team's control person. The group bought the Padres for $800 million from John Moores.
The new owners had to have liked what they saw.
Headley's two-run single to right in the fifth inning off Tommy Hanson gave the Padres a 4-1 lead. Everth Cabrera reached second when his popup went over the head of retreating third baseman Chipper Jones as shortstop Paul Janish came in behind him. Jones was charged with an error. Will Venable singled and stole second, and both scored on Headley's single.
That gave Headley 30 RBIs in August, making him the eighth Padres player to get that many in a month. The last San Diego player with 30-plus RBIs in a month was Ryan Klesko in May 2001, when he set a team record with 40.
San Diego also scored two runs in the fourth. Yasmani Grandal drew a leadoff walk and Mark Kotsay hit a one-out single to right. Logan Forsythe doubled to left to bring in Grandal, and Cameron Maybin followed with a sacrifice fly.
The Padres added on in the eighth with a two-run single by pinch-hitter Chris Denorfia and RBI singles by Grandal and Yonder Alonso.
Atlanta scored an unearned run in the fifth. Michael Bourn's sacrifice fly brought in Dan Uggla, who singled and advanced to third on second baseman Forsythe's throwing error. David Ross homered leading off the ninth, his seventh.
Stults (4-2) allowed an unearned run on five hits in six innings, struck out five and walked two.
Hanson (12-7) gave up four runs, three earned, on eight hits in 4 2-3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.
NOTES: Jones, who is retiring after this season, received a standing ovation in the eighth inning before his final at-bat in San Diego. He stepped out of the box and tipped his helmet to the crowd. Jones singled and was erased on an inning-ending double play. ... Padres C Nick Hundley had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and OF James Darnell had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder. The team said both operations went well. In addition, farmhand Beamer Weems underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. ... Both teams are off Thursday. The Braves return home to open a series against Philadelphia on Friday, when Mike Minor (7-10, 4.71 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Roy Halladay (8-7, 3.88). The Padres head to Colorado, where on Friday lefty Clayton Richard (11-12, 3.72) is scheduled to start against Alex White (2-6, 5.49).
