That should've been the whole story. Instead, Fernando Tatis Jr. tripled home two runs in the 9th and Luis Rengifo followed with a two-run homer to make it a one-run game before Raisel Iglesias slammed the door for his save. It was the kind of finish that makes a Wednesday night game feel like October.
This was the rubber match of a genuinely competitive three-game set — Atlanta grinding out a 3-2 win in the opener, San Diego firing back 8-3 behind two Machado homers and a 474-foot Tatis blast the very next day. Neither team blinked all week, which tracks with where they sit: the Braves are running a comfortable lead in the NL East at 58-42, while the Padres are treading water at 50-51 and trying to keep their season from sliding.
Atlanta's still missing Ronald Acuña Jr., who's been out since late June with a hamstring strain but has been ramping up on a rehab assignment and flashing power in Triple-A — a sign the Braves' lineup could get another gear soon. San Diego, meanwhile, is dealing with a deeper injury crunch across its rotation and bullpen that's made King's Wednesday starts feel like must-watch appointments just to keep the arms race manageable.
In the end, the box score tells the story better than any storyline could: a blowout inning followed by a scare, decided in the final three outs.