Braves Rally in the Ninth, Top Padres : Baseball: Blauser’s homer in ninth ties game, then Padres’ Maddux walks in decisive run in Atlanta’s 3-2 victory.

This time, Randy Myers wasn’t the Padres’ first option.

This time, as the ninth inning ticked away and Padre hearts pounded, Myers remained in the bullpen. Instead, the Padres used Jose Melendez, Pat Clements and Mike Maddux in the ninth.

Bullpen by committee?

Padre spirits were deflated by committee.

On a night in which Craig Lefferts worked his longest stint as a starter, the Padres watched Atlanta score two ninth-inning runs and steal a 3-2 victory in front of 21,781 in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

And the Padres, who as recently as Tuesday morning were 20-0 in games in which they were leading after the sixth inning, are suddenly 21-2 in those games--1-2 since Tuesday.

Myers blew Tuesday’s game in Chicago, and four Padre pitchers contributed to Friday’s debacle.

Lefferts (6-4) worked eight mostly brilliant innings, holding Atlanta to one run and five hits entering the ninth. He did it mainly with pinpoint accuracy--for the third time this season, Lefferts finished an outing without allowing any walks.

But then came the ninth and Lefferts, working with a 2-1 lead, watched his evening quickly unravel. Atlanta’s Jeff Blauser, up first, took one ball and then sent Lefferts’ second pitch into the left-field seats.

Blauser is only four for 18 lifetime against Lefferts, but two of the four hits are home runs.

“I pitched real well, especially cutters (cut fastballs) in,” Lefferts said. “Then I went out in the last inning and changed my philosophy. I wanted to make sure I kept it in the big part of the yard, and that might not have been a smart thing to do.

“I went away from what I was doing, and I ended up throwing the ball right in the middle.

“Instead of throwing good cutters like I had been throughout the game, I threw a hit-me two-seamer right down the middle. I learned from that.”

He had some time to think about it.

After Terry Pendleton followed with a sharp single, Padre acting Manager Jimmy Snyder--subbing for Greg Riddoch, who is in Greeley, Colo., to attend his son’s high school graduation--lifted Lefferts.

Then came more trouble. Melendez allowed Ron Gant to single.

Snyder called for Clements. Clements induced David Justice to ground out and then intentionally walked Brian Hunter, loading the bases.

Snyder called for Maddux--who promptly walked Greg Olson, forcing home Pendleton with what would be the winning run.

“We looked at the matchups with Justice against Myers and Clements and the percentages looked like that was the way to go,” Snyder said.

According to Snyder, Justice had a .375 batting average against Myers and Clements had “gotten him out two or three times.”

The Padres put four different baserunners on in their half of the ninth, but Mark Wohlers, who was recently recalled from triple-A Richmond, held on for his second save. After an intentional walk to Tony Gwynn, which loaded the bases, Gary Sheffield grounded to third, forcing Gwynn at second, to end the game.

Juan Berenguer (1-1) got the victory.

It was a night Lefferts should have been able to savor. It was certainly much different than the last time he faced the Braves, which came in San Diego on April 20. That night, he allowed six hits and six runs (two earned) in four innings. That was before Myers became so erratic and before the Padres’ fifth-starter woes, and by the time the Bravers were finished with Lefferts, the biggest question was how long the Padres could afford to keep him in the starting rotation.

Things have certainly changed. His ERA is a not-too-swift 3.94, but it is the first time all season it has been under 4.00. He entered the game at 4.02, having won five of his past six starts.

And despite the high ERA, a Lefferts start usually means a Padre victory. They were 7-3 this season in his starts.

But the first complete game of his life eluded him.

“I felt good,” Lefferts said. “I had only thrown 100 pitches. I wanted it. It was a challenge.”

The entire evening was a challenge, because the game was tight all the way.

The Padres struck first in familiar fashion. Tony Fernandez led off the Padre first with a single to right, and Gwynn followed with another single, driving Fernandez to third. Two batters later, Fernandez scored when Fred McGriff grounded to second.

After managing only two hits in three innings against Lefferts, the Braves tied the game in the fourth. Gant singled, moved to second on a Justice single, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Padres moved ahead gain in the fifth, becoming the first team of the evening to actually drive home a runner with a base hit. Fernandez’s second single of the evening scored Kurt Stillwell.

But the 2-1 lead melted away in the ninth more quickly than an ice cream cone in August.

Yes, the Padre offense has been impressive.

But suddenly, in the span of four days, the Padres have learned one thing about the ninth inning.

No lead is safe.