Forsythe homers in season debut to back Marquis

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres didn't score in the seventh inning with much glamor -- an RBI single from Yasmani Grandal drove in the first run, and another came in when Jason Marquis grounded into a double play. It gave the Padres a six-run lead, and it seemed like the Padres were cruising to an inevitable victory.

Turns out they needed every bit of offense.

The Braves homered twice in the ninth inning, and brought the tying run to the plate, before the Padres finally held on for a 7-6 win on Monday in front of 21,192 fans at Petco Park.

"The ninth inning got away from us a little bit, but we had a big enough cushion," Padres manager Bud Black said. "The end result is what you look for."

Evan Gattis hit a pinch-hit three-run homer off reliever Tim Stauffer in the ninth, and Jason Heyward added his second home run of the night off Dale Thayer to make it a one-run game. But Thayer struck out Justin Upton to convert his first save of the season and ninth of his five-year career.

The Padres (30-34) were in danger of spoiling another brilliant performance by Marquis, who moved through the Braves' lineup without much trouble -- allowing a run in the fifth inning thanks to a walk, a wild pitch and a Julio Teheran groundout, and Heyward's first homer in the eighth.

Marquis lasted 7 2/3 innings on his way to his seventh consecutive victory. He's now 8-2 on the year -- matching his win totals from 2011 and 2012 -- with a 3.59 ERA.

"He kept the ball down," Black said. "I thought, overall, good sinker down, and he threw more changeups today than he did in his previous starts. He weaves his way through a game, it's great."

Marquis struggled with command at times -- he walked five and threw a wild pitch -- and it frustrated him a bit. After walking Dan Uggla to lead off the seventh, he walked off the mound and yelled something to himself. But he kept his composure, and the next batter, Chris Johnson, lined into a double play to end any potential threat.

"Yeah, a little frustrated," Marquis said. "But as time goes on, the older I get, it's in and out of my system pretty quick. I know when I was younger it would affect me a little bit more, but I'm not too worried about it.

"I felt like I was able to make pitches when I needed too … so some of those walks, not to say they were on purpose, but I want to force them to hit the pitch I want them to hit. I'm not going to give in."

The game was Logan Forsythe's 2013 season debut after missing the first 63 games because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. In his first at-bat, Forsythe hit a 445-foot solo home run to center field, the second longest at Petco Park this season.

Forsythe singled in his next at-bat, but was picked off at first base for his only real blemish on the night. He was 2-for-2 and scored what wound up being the game-winning run in the seventh after a walk.

"Mechanically, the swing was there," Forsythe said. "Once I got out here, the timing was the just the biggest thing."

Forsythe had been swinging the bat well with Triple-A Tucson, and he hit two home runs in his final game on Sunday. Prior to Monday's game, Black said Forsythe likely wouldn't have been called up after only 25 at-bats at with Tucson, but the team had to put second baseman Jedd Gyorko on the disabled list with a groin injury.

"It's great to see a guy right off the get-go make an impact," Black said.

The Braves entered the game winners of seven of their last nine, and their starting pitcher, Julio Teheran (4-3), only allowed one hit in his last start and struck out 11, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning.

He was far from that form on Monday, as he gave up five runs in six innings, including the homer to Forsythe and a three-run homer to Will Venable in the fourth inning, as the Padres built a 5-0 lead.

"I think our expectation of Teheran was for him to go out every time out and throw seven shutout innings and take a no-hitter into the eighth," Braves manager Fredi Gonazlez said. "Sometimes he's going to have four or five good ones. And sometimes, he's going to have one like this."