SAN DIEGO — Melvin Upton Jr. hit two two-run home runs against his former team and Yangervis Solarte hit a three-run shot to back James Shields and give the San Diego Padres a 9-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.
Upton, acquired from the Braves in a seven-player trade the day before the season opened, homered in the sixth inning off David Aardsma and in the eighth off Andrew McKirahan to help Shields with a much-needed laugher.
Upton, who has five homers this season, was a late addition to the starting lineup after Will Venable was traded to Texas a few hours before the game.
Shields (9-5) won for just the second time in 14 starts. It took him eight starts to get his eighth win and then six starts to get his ninth. He held Atlanta to five hits and struck out seven in six innings.
The loss went to rookie Matt Wisler (5-3), who had been the Padres’ top pitching prospect before being sent to Atlanta in the big trade on April 5.