Griffin Canning rocked again as Padres lose series to Braves

ATLANTA — Because baseball is a zanily capricious game, the Padres scored three runs against Chris Sale in the second inning on Thursday.

Because Sale is one of baseball’s best starting pitchers year after year after year and Griffin Canning is a pitcher far less good than that, the Padres soon trailed and could not come all the way back.

A 6-5 defeat in the finale of their four-game series against the Braves was the Padres’ fifth loss in seven games on a road trip their front office is using to gauge whether they have a roster worth improving at the trade deadline.

“Given the time of year, we know where we’re at,” Ty France said. “It’s a weird spot to be in. Basically, if we want to go where we want to go and put the front office in position to do what A.J. (Preller) typically does, we need to win some baseball games. We’re not doing that right now.”

It is not for France’s lack of contribution.

It can certainly be argued that the offense as a whole is doing enough to win. The Padres have scored at least five runs in three of their losses on this trip. And France has been the catalyst for much of that production, hitting five home runs and three doubles in the seven games since the All-Star break.

France, who could end up being traded if things continue to veer as they are for the Padres, hit his latest homer in Thursday’s eighth inning, getting the Padres to within a run before a ninth-inning rally fell short.

The difference ended up being the home run Drake Baldwin hit off Matt Waldron in the seventh inning.

“Couldn’t keep the ball in the ballpark,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said, referencing also the three bombs allowed by Canning. “When the other team hits four home runs, it’s tough to win ballgames.”

Well, there was also the difference of Sale’s dominance after the Padres stung him.

“He got in a groove,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “He got angry, and then he just starts making pitches.”

Sale allowed one baserunner over his final four innings, finished with 11 strikeouts and improved to 5-0 in his career against the Padres despite the injustice of having his season ERA inflate to 2.19.

Canning allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings, which brought his season total against the Braves to nine runs in 3 1/3 innings and raised his season ERA to 6.97.

“It’s kind of how the whole year has felt,” Canning said. “I made a lot of really good pitches, and the ones I don’t they’re jumping on and putting good swings on them.”

Sale entered the game with a 2.06 ERA. While that was second lowest among qualifying major league starters, it did not serve to illustrate his dominance.

Of the 24 earned runs the left-hander had allowed this season, six came in his third start, on April 6 against the Angels. In his other 17 starts, he had a 1.60 ERA. Just three times in his 15 starts since April 6 had he allowed three runs.

He still has not allowed four.

Manny Machado’s two-out single interrupted Sale striking out the side in the first inning on 16 pitches.

He was not nearly as sharp in the second, and a misplayed fly ball cost him.

Xander Bogaerts got under a curveball hung up in the zone and flied out to start the inning before Gavin Sheets grounded a single up the middle and Freddy Fermin appeared to have made the second out.

After sending the first pitch he saw high in the air to shallow left field, Fermin slammed his bat to the ground before jogging toward first base. But left fielder Mauricio Dubón took a step back before running up futilely as Fermin’s ball dropped to the grass.

Sale hit Jake Cronenworth with an 0-1 sinker to load the bases before Tatis worked a walk to bring in the Padres’ first run. Among the work Tatis did was winning a challenge on a called strike that got him to three balls.

Luis Rengifo followed by slicing a slider that was barely above his ankles into right-center field to drive in two runs before Machado struck out.

The Braves cut the deficit to 3-1 two pitches later, as Michael Harris II began the bottom of the second inning by sending a fastball 420 feet to right field.

Canning went on to retire the next six batters before retiring two of his final seven.

The Braves’ four-run fourth inning began with Ozzie Albies hitting a home run before Canning got an out, allowed a single and had a runner reach on catcher interference, got another out and then left a change-up in the heart of the strike zone that Dominic Smith sent over the wall in right field.

Another single ended Canning’s day.

Yuki Matsui got through the fifth, and Waldron worked a scoreless sixth before Drake Baldwin hit a solo homer with one out in the seventh to make it 6-3.

From Rengifo’s two-run single in the second and his strikeout to begin the eighth inning, the Padres made 17 outs in a span of 18 batters. Then Machado’s one-out single preceded France’s sixth home run in nine games.

Danny Young retired the next two batters, and the Padres mounted a final rally against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias when Cronenworth and Tatis singled with two outs in the ninth before Rengifo struck out.

“We scratched and clawed in that second inning against Sale, got three on the board, felt really good about that,” Stammen said. “Their bullpen is really good. We still scored two off their bullpen, put a rally together in the ninth. So a lot of positive things from our offense against one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Pitching has got to pick up our offense in that situation.”