SAN DIEGO -- Until the ninth inning Wednesday afternoon, Nick Vincent was known as the local guy who kept shuttling between the San Diego Padres and Triple-A Tucson. Then, with two outs and runners on first and third, the rookie came on and struck out Justin Upton to earn his first career save as the San Diego Padres beat the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves 5-3 for a three-game sweep. Edinson Volquez struck out a season-high nine in seven innings as he rebounded from the worst start of his career. Chris Denorfia hit a two-run homer for the Padres, who have won six of eight. They swept the Braves in San Diego for the first time since May 19-21, 2005. It was Vincents first save opportunity this season and the second of his career. "I was ready for the moment," said the 26-year-old Vincent, whos from nearby Ramona and was an 18th-round pick in the June 2008 draft. "The moment was good. Save situation, the first save of my career, so Im excited." Vincent said his mother, father and grandmother were in the crowd. He squeezed in a quick workout after the game because they were going out to dinner. Vincent wasnt even here when this series began Monday night. He was recalled from Tucson on Tuesday. "This is your job," he said. "You have to go in and execute pitches and get outs. Thats why you come up here because you know how to get the outs. When they see you perform like that, it makes them happy and makes you happy." With closer Huston Street on the disabled list, Luke Gregerson got the first two outs of the ninth but also allowed Jordan Schafers RBI single and was pulled when the Padres couldnt turn a double play on Andrelton Simmons grounder. Left-hander Tommy Layne came on to face Jason Heyward, who singled up the middle to move Simmons to third. Vincent came on and fell behind 2-0 to Upton before striking him out looking. Upton had hit a long home run to left in the eighth. "Hes got the power. Thats what he gets paid to do. For me, Ive got to go out there and throw my pitches and hope he swings and misses," Vincent said. "Ive got to go in and throw strikes. I went 2-0 and I was like, All right, Ive got to just challenge him now. So I just threw a cutter down the middle and he swung over it. I threw another one and Yasi (catcher Yasmani Grandal) called a fastball again and I knew from last year that he swings through my fastball so it was like, all right, lets do this. He took it." Vincent said it was supposed to be a fastball away but it went in "and he took it. Mistake pitch, but it worked." "That was quite a challenge for Nick, wasnt it?" Padres manager Bud Black said. "Hope there were some people from Ramona down here for that one. That was a good one for Nick. Youve got a prolific home run hitter who in his previous at-bat hit a home run, and a young pitcher trying to make his mark in the majors. Fell behind him and came back and got him. That was a great duel. ... He made a very good pitch on the 2-2 count." The Braves, who have lost five of seven, were swept for the second time this season. The first was at Detroit from April 26-28. "Nothing to take away from the Padres, but this was a weird series," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We outhit them all three games, but we lost all three. Lets not forget that. Our guys busted their (rear ends) all three nights. In a one-run game, we had the right guy at the plate in the ninth with Justin. Thats the way baseball is sometimes. You run into a hot team and you dont get any breaks. Thats just the way it goes." The Braves outhit the Padres 25-20 but were outscored 15-11. "We thought we did all we could," Upton said. "We swung the bats well, we played solid defence. Sometimes the game doesnt go your way, and it didnt work out for us." Denorfia homered to left field with one out in the fifth off Paul Maholm, his third. Everth Cabrera was on second after hitting a single and stealing his 30th base, tops in the majors. Volquez (5-5) bounced back after allowing nine runs and 11 hits, both career highs, in 2 1-3 innings of a 10-9 loss at Colorado on Friday. He held the Braves to one run and six hits and walked three. His nine strikeouts were his most since Aug. 20. In his previous two starts, Volquez allowed a combined 13 earned runs and 17 hits in 7 1-3 innings. Maholm (7-5) loaded the bases three times, including twice in the three-run first and for a final time with two outs in the sixth before making way for David Carpenter. Maholm allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. He gave up three singles and two walks in the first, including a bases-loaded walk to Kyle Blanks with one out followed by Logan Forsythes two-run single. After Jesus Guzman singled to load the bases again, Grandal lined to shortstop and Forsythe was doubled off second. One of the runs was unearned due to second baseman Dan Ugglas throwing error. Upton drove in Atlantas first two runs, including his 15th homer, a solo shot in the eighth off Joe Thatcher. The ball went an estimated 430 feet, landing in the balcony on the third level of the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse and bouncing into the second deck in left field. Upton also hit an RBI single in the third. NOTES: This was San Diegos fifth sweep this season. ... The Padres are off Thursday before opening a three-game series against NL West-leading Arizona on Friday night. The scheduled starters are RHP Trevor Cahill (3-7, 4.01 ERA) for Arizona and LHP Eric Stults (5-5, 3.53) for San Diego. ... Atlanta returns home for an off day Thursday before opening a three-game series against San Francisco. The probables are LHP Madison Bumgarner (5-4, 3.58) vs. RHP Kris Medlen (3-6, 2.87).NMD Canada Sale .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. NMD R1 Womens Canada . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.nmdshoescanada.com/x-plr-cheap-canada.html . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. NMD Cheap Canada . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. Adidas Prophere Canada . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive.DENVER -- D.J. LeMahieu hasnt had much to say about his recent success, which is fine because his bat is saying plenty.LeMahieu kept tormenting the Nationals with two hits, Gerardo Parra drove in four runs and the Rockies beat Stephen Strasburg and Washington 12-10 on Wednesday.Tony Wolters homered and had three hits, and Charlie Blackmon extended his hitting streak to 12 games for the Rockies.LeMahieu singled in his first at-bat to stretch his on-base streak to 10 plate appearances, the fourth longest in club history. The streak ended when he struck out to end Colorados seven-run first inning.It was the first time Washington retired LeMahieu during this three-game series. LeMahieu was 4 for 4 on Monday and 3 for 3 with a walk Tuesday. He also walked in his final at-bat Sunday against Philadelphia.I feel comfortable, relaxed, confident, the soft-spoken LeMahieu said after raising his average to .343, second in the NL.LeMahieu has elevated his average 15 points over the last five games and combined with Blackmon at the top of the order to spark Colorados offense. Blackmon is hitting .346 since July 1.Both guys have really upped their game, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. Both are getting on base at a really high rate. Theyre a big reason why our offense is performing better.Bryce Harper homered and Jayson Werth extended his on-base streak to 45 games, the longest in Nationals history and one behind Rusty Staubs franchise record. Staub reached base in 46 straight games for the Montreal Expos spanning the 1969-70 seasons.Strasburg (15-4) continued his recent struggles with his shortest outing of the season. After winning 15 of his first 16 starts, the right-hander has allowed 19 earned runs and 24 hits in the last 11 2/3 innings. His ERA is up nearly a run, from 2.63 to 3.59, in his last four starts.You just kind of got to put them behind you, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. For one, you got to quit counting because if you dont quit counting, it goes to four and five and it gets in your head. Hell get it together.The first six batters reached against Strasburg on Wednesday. Colorado sent 11 to the plate in the first and eight more in the second to build a 9-2 lead.Parra haad the big hit in the first, a three-run double that made it 4-0.ddddddddddddKoda Glover relieved Strasburg after Wolters two-out single in the second.You dont want to just become passive or change the way you go about your business, Strasburg said. I think its just one of those games where I didnt execute it enough in spots and I got beat on it.Rockies starter Jon Gray allowed four runs and six hits in four innings and has allowed 18 earned runs over his last 11 innings.Harper made it 9-6 in the fifth with a two-run shot that traveled 461 feet to right-center. Colorado scored three times in the bottom of the inning to make it 12-6.Pedro Severino had a pinch-hit homer in the seventh and Trea Turner led off the eighth with a triple and scored on Werths sacrifice fly.Boone Logan (2-2) struck out Daniel Murphy and Harper to end the eighth before Scott Oberg allowed a solo home run to Chris Heisey before closing it out for his first save.Youd like for it to be a little easier than that after a seven-run first but thats usually how it goes here, Weiss said. You get a big inning early and you end up having to hang on. Its not how we drew it up but a great win.TRAINERS ROOMWashington: LHP Sammy Solis was placed on the 15-day DL with left shoulder inflammation. Solis got the win with an inning of relief Monday but was not available Tuesday. ... The Nationals recalled Glover from Triple-A Syracuse, and he pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.Colorado: OF Carlos Gonzalez was not in the lineup for precautionary reasons. Gonzalez has been bothered by a left ankle injury suffered Aug. 6 but worked his way back without going on the disabled list. Weiss said he didnt want to play him in a day game after a night game, and an off day Thursday gives him extra rest.UP NEXTNationals: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (1-1, 5.74) opens a four-game series in Atlanta. Lopez tossed seven innings of one-run ball against the Braves on Sunday.Rockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (4-4, 3.42) faces the surging Chicago Cubs on Friday. He was ejected in the fourth inning of his last start, at Philadelphia. ' ' '
