Throw to Home, and Game, Gets Away From Padres, 9-8

In what many would call an understatement, Atlanta Manager Chuck Tanner said that “a lot of things happened” in the Braves’ 9-8 victory over the Padres Monday night.

Padre Manager Steve Boros agreed. “I can’t remember a stranger game,” he said.

The most critical play, if not the most bizarre, was the final one. Atlanta catcher Ozzie Virgil lofted to right field a fly that was too shallow to score Omar Moreno. He made the obligatory break for the plate, only to return to third, but when the throw got away from Padre catcher Benito Santiago, Moreno scored.

“They were a bunch of human beings playing, and playing hard,” Tanner said. “You can’t tell me both sides didn’t try everything they could to win that game.”

At stake was fifth place in the National League West. The Braves were trying to stay there and the Padres were attempting to rise from their cellar position.

“I’d give both teams an ‘A’ for effort,” Tanner said. “But, no, I wouldn’t give either an ‘F’ for execution because they both tried so hard. I’d give them a ‘C’ overall.”

Bob Horner, who had hit his 24th homer in the fourth inning, led off the Atlanta ninth with a walk against LaMarr Hoyt (7-11), the sixth Padre pitcher. Moreno, running for Horner, went to second on a wild pitch by Hoyt and to third on a sacrifice by Gerald Perry.

After pinch-hitter Chris Chambliss was walked intentionally, Virgil hit the decisive fly ball.

Zane Smith (8-15), the Braves’ fourth pitcher, picked up the victory.

The Padres took an 8-7 lead in the eighth when Marvell Wynne led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by pinch-hitter Jerry Royster, went to third on a grounder by Tony Gwynn and scored on a double by Kevin McReynolds, who had four RBIs and his 24th home run.

But the Braves tied it in the bottom of the eighth when Glenn Hubbard opened with a single, went to second on Andres Thomas’ grounder and scored on a bizarre play that first was scored as a triple by Albert Hall. But the Padres then threw the ball to first base and Hall was called out for having failed to touch base. The run stood, however.