Padres take advantage of error to defeat Braves

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Petco Park might eventually drive the San Diego Padres batty.

The Padres couldn't win when ace Jake Peavy struck out a team-record 16 batters on Monday night, yet they had just two hits Tuesday and won for rookie Mike Thompson, who allowed a homer to the opposing pitcher.

Josh Barfield's bases-loaded grounder bounced off third baseman Chipper Jones' chest for an error and brought in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as the Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 2-1 night to snap a four-game losing streak.

"To win with two hits, that's not pretty, but you take it," said manager Bruce Bochy, whose team won for the second time in eight games. "The ballpark, today it shows -- it's the toughest park to score runs in, so you're probably going to play some low-scoring games."

It was just the seventh time in franchise history that the Padres had two or fewer hits. The last time they won a game while getting only two hits was April 28, 1985, when they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 at Dodger Stadium.

Mike Piazza started the winning rally by drawing a leadoff walk from Jorge Sosa (1-6) and was replaced by pinch-runner Eric Young. Sosa loaded the bases with one out by giving up a single to Adrian Gonzalez and walking Vinny Castilla. Chad Paronto came on, and Jones couldn't handle Barfield's grounder, allowing Young to score.

Jones isn't a big fan of Petco Park.

"It was just an in-between hop," Jones said. "I've played stickball in parking lots softer than that field. You have to hold your ground right there. Unfortunately, it hit my chest. Anything to my right, I can step on third, anything to my left, I go to second. The ball was right at me."

Thompson (2-0) won for the second time in two major league starts by holding the Braves to one run and four hits in seven innings. He struck out two and walked none. Thompson won his debut last Wednesday, 14-10 at Arizona.

Trevor Hoffman pitched the ninth for his eighth save in eight opportunities, retiring Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones with one on to end it. Hoffman is second on the career list with 444 saves, 34 behind Lee Smith.

"There were two things I was wanting to do, win the ballgame and hear those bells ring there in the ninth," Thompson said, referring to AC/DC's "Hells Bells," which is played when Hoffman jogs onto the field. "I got to experience both. It was great. Once those things went off I just got goosebumps all over my body. It was unbelievable."

With the exception of the sixth-inning homer he gave up to Sosa, Thompson kept the Braves off balance with his sinker, slider and changeup.

"You look at Thompson's job, that's seven solid innings," Bochy said. "That's a great job by that kid. In a tight ballgame, too. He pitched well.

"It's nice to see Thompson follow Peavy's great start and pitch well."

Sosa tied the game at 1 leading off the third when he homered into the second deck in left field off Thompson. Sosa's shot, his second, was estimated at 411 feet.

Sosa allowed an unearned run in the third, when Mike Cameron singled in Vinny Castilla with two outs. Castilla reached leading off the inning when first baseman Brian Jordan couldn't hang onto the throw from shortstop Edgar Renteria. Castilla advanced on Thompson's sacrifice and, after Roberts walked, scored on Cameron's single to left. Cameron took second on the throw, giving the Padres runners on second and third, but Brian Giles flied out to center.

Sosa allowed two hits and two runs, one earned, in 6 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out one.

"We made two errors and couldn't get him any runs," Chipper Jones said. "I don't know what it is about this park, but we have trouble scoring runs here."

Game notes
Peavy has slight tendinitis in his right shoulder, Bochy said. Peavy was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh Monday night with the Padres trailing 2-0. He had thrown 114 pitches. "There's no doubt that we did the right thing by me coming out of that game," Peavy said Tuesday. ... Braves C Brian McCann took batting practice and pinch-hit in the eighth. McCann left Saturday night's game at Arizona with a sprained left ankle sustained in a collision at the plate with Eric Byrnes. ... Braves 1B Adam LaRoche missed his second straight game with a stiff neck.