ATLANTA – Atlanta’s corner outfielders have returned from thumb injuries to give the Braves more reason to believe they can hold their lead in the NL East.
Matt Diaz homered in his third straight game, Jason Heyward added three hits and the Braves beat the San Diego Padres 4-1 on Tuesday night in a matchup of first-place teams.
The two outfielders drove in Atlanta’s four runs to support a strong start from right-hander Jair Jurrjens, who gave up only one run in seven innings.
Padres second baseman David Eckstein left the game with a right calf strain and may be bound for the disabled list.
Diaz drove in three runs with a two-run homer in the fourth and a run-scoring single in the seventh.