MLB Standings: Idle Braves Fall To 5.5 Games Back Of Washington Nationals

Before starting their three-game set with the San Diego Padres, the Atlanta Braves had Thursday off. The Braves were certainly tuned in, however, as the Washington Nationals topped the St. Louis Cardinals 8-1, which had ramifications in both the National League Wild Card and East races.

The Braves fell to 5.5 games back of the Nationals in the NL East chase, but continue to hold the top spot in the Wild Card race in the National League, as the Cardinals fell to 3 games back of the Braves in the still playoff-bound second spot. The Pirates are 3.5 games back of the Braves, on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

Here is the picture in the National League East:

And for the NL Wild Card:

For more Braves coverage, head over to Talking Chop.

2012 MLB Standings: Braves 5 Games Behind Nationals, Still Holding Wild Card

The Atlanta Braves currently hold one of two National League Wild Cards.

Braves vs. Padres: Tommy Hanson Struggles Again In 8-2 Loss

On what was the final day of a 10-day, 10-game road trip that spanned from Washington D.C. to the west coast, the Braves looked like a team ready to head home. With the series on the line, Atlanta fell by a score of 8-2 as Tommy Hanson continued to struggle.

Hanson, who continually threw his fastball in the upper-80s, worked just 4.2 innings. He surrendered four runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks, striking out three. His ERA for the season is now 4.45. You have to wonder if this will be his final start given that he really hasn't pitched effectively since, well, last year.

Eric Stults dominated the Braves yet again on Wednesday afternoon, tossing six innings of one-run ball. Stults worked 7+ innings of one-run ball a few weeks back in Atlanta, and it's safe to say the Braves did not make the proper adjustments on this day. Stults' lone run was unearned, and he allowed just five hits and two walks.

Chipper Jones and David Ross were the only hitters to record two hits on the day. Michael Bourn drove home a run with a sac fly in the fifth, while Ross hit a solo homer in the ninth.

The Braves will not return home and have a much needed off-day before taking on the Phillies for a three-game stint. First pitch is scheduled for 7:35 ET.

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop.

Braves Vs. Padres Lineup: Martin Prado Shifts In The Infield

The Atlanta Braves have shuffled around their lineups for Wednesday's game against the San Diego Padres. Martin Prado will play at first base and bat fifth and be replaced by Paul Janish, who will bat eighth. David Ross will catch for pitcher Tommy Hanson.

Here is the rest of the Braves' lineup for Wednesday's game.

Today's lineup at SD (6:35, SPSO/680AM/BRN): Bourn 8 Johnson 7 Heyward 9 Jones 5 Prado 3 Ross 2 Uggla 4 Janish 6 Hanson 1

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 29, 2012

The Padres on the other hand made only one change, having Yasmani Grandal catch for pitcher Eric Stults. Here is the rest of the Padres' lineup for Wednesday's game.

1. Everth Cabrera (S) SS
2. Will Venable (L) RF
3. Chase Headley (S) 3B
4. Yasmani Grandal (S) C
5. Yonder Alonso (L) 1B
6. Mark Kotsay (L) LF
7. Logan Forsythe (R) 2B
8. Cameron Maybin (R) CF
9. Eric Stults (L) P

Atlanta's game is scheduled for a first pitch at 6:35 p.m. and be broadcast on SPSO and WCNN.

For the latest on all things Atlanta Braves, head over to Talking Chop and join the discussion.

Braves Vs. Padres Preview: TV Time, Radio, Probable Starters And More

The Braves will look to extend their lead in the NL wild-card race with a win Wednesday against the San Diego Padres. They currently lead the Cardinals by 2.5 games.

The first two games of the series have been low scoring affairs-- 3-0 on Monday and 2-0 on Tuesday--- so the Braves will look to Tommy Hanson for a dominant outing.

The big righty has struggled all season, posting a career-high 4.40 ERA. But a trip to Petco Park may be exactly what Hanson needs to get his season on track. The Padres are hitting only .241 as a team, good for sixth worst in the MLB.

The Padres send Eric Stults to the hill, in hopes that he can continue his hot season. Stults has moved between the bullpen and the starting rotation all season, maintaining a 2.69 ERA.

Wednesday's game will begin at 6:35 p.m. ET, and can be found on SPSO and WCNN.

For the latest on all things Atlanta Braves, head over to Talking Chop and join the discussion.

Braves Vs. Padres Final Score: Kris Medlen Dazzles Again In 2-0 Shutout Victory

Kris Medlen has now thrown 26.1 consecutive innings of shutout baseball for the Atlanta Braves, with eight of those innings coming on Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres. Medlen was the star of the show early and often, and a couple of clutch hits from Braves batters were enough to secure a 2-0 victory.

Medlen scattered five hits while on the mound and did not walk a batter. He struck out nine Padres, which tied a career-high for the young righty. Atlanta is now 17-0 in Medlen's last 17 starts.

He even picked off two batters for good measure.

Andrew Werner, who was making the second start of his wild career on Tuesday, impressed while tossing six innings. He gave up just two runs on four hits, striking out seven and not walking any batters.

Chipper Jones drove home the first run of the game with a two-out double in the first inning to score Martin Prado. Dan Uggla crushed a belt-high changeup about 450 feet in the fifth to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead.

Medlen exited after eight innings, giving way to Craig Kimbrel. After allowing a leadoff infield single to Everth Cabrera, Kimbrel struck out the next three batters to secure his 32nd save of the season.

The Braves and Padres will meet for the series finale on Wednesday afternoon at 6:35 p.m. ET.

Braves Vs. Padres Lineup: Chipper Jones Looks To Back Kris Medlen

The Atlanta Braves look to rebound against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, one night after being shut out by rookie Casey Kelly and San Diego's bullpen in a 3-0 loss.

Managers Fredi Gonzalez and Bud Black have announced the starting lineups for Tuesday night's game, and they are as follows:

Atlanta Braves

CF Michael Bourn
SS Martin Prado
RF Jason Heyward
3B Chipper Jones
1B Freddie Freeman
LF Reed Johnson
C Brian McCann
2B Dan Uggla
SP Kris Medlen

San Diego Padres

SS Everth Cabrera
RF Will Venable
3B Chase Headley
LF Carlos Quentin
1B Yonder Alonso
2B Logan Forsythe
CF Cameron Maybin
C John Baker
SP Andrew Werner

The Braves enter the game trailing the Washington Nationals by five games (six in the loss column) in the National League, and leading the St. Louis Cardinals by 1.5 games (one in the loss column) for the top Wild Card spot in the National League.

For the latest on all things Atlanta Braves, head over to Talking Chop and join the discussion.

Braves Vs. Padres Game Time, TV, Radio Info And More

On Tuesday, the Braves will look to win their 16th consecutive game in which Kris Medlen (5-1, 1.86 ERA in five starts) has started. The streak dates back to May 2010.

In four starts this August, Medlen is 3-0 with an ERA of just 0.65 and has averaged nearly seven innings per start. One of those starts, a complete-game, five-hit shutout, came against this same San Diego Padres squad on Aug. 16. The reasons for his success: Medlen is throwing strikes nearly 70 percent of the time and limiting opposing hitters to just a .220 batting average.

Medlen will face off against Padres lefty Andrew Werner, who earned a win in his major-league debut Aug. 22 against Pittsburgh. Werner went six innings, allowing four hits and walking four but limiting the Pirates to just two earned runs. Werner posted a 3.46 ERA in 47 minor league starts and got nearly three times as many ground ball outs as fly ball outs.

Game Time: 10:05 p.m. ET

TV: SportSouth

Radio: WCNN 680, WNNX 100.5

For more on the Atlanta Braves, head over to Talking Chop, and be sure to check out Baseball Nation, SBNation's dedicated MLB hub.

Braves' Bats Struggle Again In 3-0 Loss To Casey Kelly, Padres

The Braves were unable to get anything going against rookie pitcher Casey Kelly and the Padres bullpen on Monday night, falling by a score of 3-0. It was the 11th time the club has been shutout this season, which seems odd given they rank third in the National League in runs scored.

Paul Maholm continued to be solid for Atlanta, although he let the long ball hurt him again. His lone mistake was a two-run homer to Yasmani Grandal in the second inning. Maholm ended up working 6.2 innings of two-run ball, scattering eight hits and one walk.

Kelly was simply too good in his Major League debut. The 22-year-old righty gave up just three hits and two walks over six innings on the mound, striking out four with his power curve and hard fastball.

With the score 2-0 in the eighth, Fredi Gonzalez made a poor decision by bringing in Miguel Batista. He promptly surrendered a run, pushing what was a solid deficit to an unmanageable one. Some things never change, I suppose.

Martin Prado led off the top of the ninth with a single, but was unable to advance any father. Jason Heyward lined out for the first out, which was followed by a weak 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Chipper Jones.

The Braves are now five games back of the Nationals, who were idle on Monday.

Braves Vs. Padres Starting Lineups: Chipper Jones Returns

The Atlanta Braves open up a three-game series in San Diego against the Padres on Monday night, as Fredi Gonzalez' club looks to gain ground on the idle Washington Nationals in the National League East race.

Both Gonzalez and Bud Black have released the starting lineups for Monday night's game.

Atlanta Braves

CF Michael Bourn
LF Martin Prado
RF Jason Heyward
3B Chipper Jones
1B Freddie Freeman
C Brian McCann
2B Dan Uggla
SS Paul Janish
SP Paul Maholm

San Diego Padres

RF Chris Denorfia
2B Logan Forsythe
3B Chase Headley
LF Carlos Quentin
C Yasmani Grandal
1B Jesus Guzman
CF Cameron Maybin
SS Everth Cabrera
SP Casey Kelly

Notably, Chipper Jones returns to the starting lineup for the first time since Friday night, as his farewell tour continues across the league.

Casey Kelly, meanwhile, will be making his debut with the Padres on Monday night. Kelly was the jewel of the Adrian Gonzalez trade, which sent Gonzalez from San Diego to Boston.

For the latest on the Atlanta Braves, head over to Talking Chip and join the discussion.

Braves Will 'Pick And Choose' Dan Uggla's Starts

With the 2B continuing to struggle, the Braves will be careful about when he gets at-bats going forward.

Braves vs. Padres Preview: Atlanta Turns To Paul Maholm In Game One

Previewing this week's matchup between the Braves and Padres.

Braves Vs. Padres Time, TV, Radio Info And More

Paul Maholm looks to stay hot as he heads to the mound for the Braves as Atlanta takes on San Diego.

2012 MLB Standings: Braves Keep Hold Of Wild Card Lead, Tighten NL East Race

The Braves continue to lead the National League Wild Card race and are within 4.5 of the Washington Nationals in the NL East.