Padre Homers Make Dent in Braves’ Armor : Baseball: Sheffield, McGriff and Jackson each hit two-run shots in 8-4 victory over Atlanta. Padres pull to within 5 1/2 games.

The Padres may not attract the screaming, tomahawk-waving legions who follow the Atlanta Braves, and the Padres may not possess the cocky flair of the Cincinnati Reds.

But the Padres showed Tuesday night in an 8-4 victory over Atlanta that no one better ignore them in the National League West race.

The Padres (63-51), with their sixth consecutive victory, drew within 5 1/2 games of the division-leading Braves. And the Padres pulled to within 1 1/2 games of second-place Cincinnati--the closest they have been to the Reds since June 1.

“They can hear us coming,” Padre center fielder Darrin Jackson. “If they stop and take a look, we might be blowing right past them.”

Not that the Braves are surprised.

“I’ve been telling people for months they’re the team to watch out for,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “When you’ve got an offense like that, you can cause all kinds of problems.”

Tell that to the Braves. They came into the game having won nine of their last 10 games and 23 of their last 29. Their 67-43 record was the best in baseball. They were playing in front of 43,927 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

The Braves left mumbling under their breath, having lost for the first time in seven games against the Padres.

Atlanta starter John Smoltz (14-7) entered game with a 6-0 reecord and 0.72 ERA in his last six starts. But he yielded five hits and six earned runs in only three innings. He allowed more runs in three innings than he did in his previous 50 1/3 innings.

“We don’t want to prove to Atlanta that we can play with with them for three days,” said Merv Rettenmund, Padre hitting coach, “but that we can play with them these last 50 days, too.

“We want them to reach the point where they’re looking at us on the scoreboard.”

Said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager: “We know we still have a lot of games left, but the big thing for us is letting them know we’re in the race.”

There certainly was no doubt in Smoltz’s mind, who will remember the heart of the Padre lineup--Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff and Jackson.

McGriff hit a two-run homer off him in the first inning and wound up with three RBIs.

Sheffield, continuing his season-long duel of one-upmanship with McGriff, hit a two-run shot in the third and later added two doubles.

Not to be outdone, Jackson followed with a two-run homer in the third and tossed in a run-scoring single in the fifth.

When the calculations were complete: Sheffield, McGriff and Jackson batted .500 in the game with five runs, two doubles, three homers and eight RBIs.

“I was telling Sheffield and Freddie before the game that we have a chance to each get 20 homers here,” said Jackson, who has 14, “so let’s push me. You guys keep going, and I’ll follow right along.”

The pace has become maddening in the last eight games: McGriff has five homers and 12 RBIs; Sheffield has five homers and 13 RBIs; and Jackson has two homers and 13 RBIs.

“It’s became a contest with me and Freddie,” Sheffield said, laughing. “When I got my homer, the first thing he said, was, ‘Everything I do, you’ve got to do something better.’ ”

Sheffield, two behind McGriff for the NL home run lead, overtook Philadelphia’s John Kruk in the batting race. Sheffield is hitting .3773, Kruk .3368. Sheffield also is tied with the Phillies’ Darren Daulton for the league RBI lead (79).

Sheffield’s performance came on the heels of a concussion he sustained Sunday. It wasn’t until a few hours before the game that his head finally quit pounding.

“It felt like a bowling ball fell on my neck,” Sheffield said. “I was just worn down. I could hardly get more than a few hours of sleep.

“I think I’m feeling better now.”

The Padres’ six-run outburst in their first three innings was enough to remedy everyone’s maladies, Jackson said. The plan: Jump on them early, show them who’s boss, and let them sweat for change.

“When you lose six in a row to one team,” said Padre starter Bruce Hurst (12-6), it can affect your confidence. “So it was nice to come out today, and say, ‘Hey, we can play with you, guys too.

“You might have to start taking us seriously.’ ”

Certainly, the Padres’ 7-1 lead after five innings made it easy for Hurst. He allowed only four hits through six innings, and only Mother Nature prevented him from a complete game. There was a rain delay of 1 hour 10 minutes after the sixth inning, much too long to keep Hurst in the game.

Still, it hardly diminished his accomplishments. Hurst has won a season-high four consecutive decisions, yielding a 1.93 ERA. The Padres own an 18-7 record in games he starts.

“I don’t think anyone expected us to be here in the first place,” right fielder Tony Gwynn said. “People thought we’d be long gone by now. But with about 50 games to go, here we are.

“Hey, we keep playing like this and stay healthy, we’ll be there.

“There’s not a doubt in my mind.”