Maddux Wins With Help From Weather

Greg Maddux thinks the bad weather Sunday worked to his advantage.

Maddux gave up only one hit before the game was called in the bottom of the fifth inning because of rain, and the Atlanta Braves defeated the San Diego Padres, 2-0.

Ken Caminiti’s broken-bat single in the second inning was the only hit the Padres were able to get off Maddux (3-1). Caminiti was erased on a double play, and Maddux faced the minimum 15 batters in his 22nd career shutout.

“When’s the last time you’ve seen a Braves pitcher blow on his hands?” Maddux asked. “[John] Smoltz blew on his hands last night and I did today. When it’s 50 and rainy and windy, the advantage is definitely with the pitcher. Look at all the low [earned-run averages] around baseball.”

Maddux extended his streak of not giving up an earned run to 29 innings and lowered his ERA to 1.13 in winning his third game in a row. He struck out four and walked none.

Maddux, a four-time Cy Young winner, has given up only 12 hits in his last 26 innings.

“I never say I’m on a good roll. I just pitch,” Maddux said. “People ask me if I’m pitching better than last year. I didn’t win the Cy Young, so I must have had a bad year. I think I’ll be all right this year.”

San Diego lost its fifth consecutive game.

Atlanta set a team record with its 17th victory in April, and the Braves’ 17-5 record is the best in franchise history after 22 games. Atlanta has won 11 of its last 13 and improved to 11-1 at Turner Field.

The game was stopped in the fifth with the Braves batting with two runners on and one out. It was called after a wait of two hours, seven minutes.

Chipper Jones accounted for both runs with a double in the third off Fernando Valenzuela (1-3). Valenzuela had shut out the Braves for 15 consecutive innings over three previous games.

The Padres’ Tony Gwynn, who had a 12-game hitting streak end, said: “Maddux was overwhelming, but Fernando was good too. When it’s raining . . . there’s not much you can do.”

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WHEN: Today 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday 4:30 p.m.