Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
I'm going to throw out some numbers regarding the Padres today.
 
Some help define the Padres, others make little sense ... but are there.
 
Let's start with how the Padres got to 26-21 over their last 47 games since April 28. The series in Atlanta is the 15th the Padres have played since that date. They are 1-14 in the opening game of those series. They are 11-4 in the second game, 11-3 in the third game (going into Saturday in Atlanta) and 3-0 in the finale of their three four-game series. Explain that.
 
Overall, the Padres are 5-18 in series openers this season and 29-20 in all games after the opener of any series.
 
Some other stats:
 
Since May 12, the Padres are 12-2 when Clayton Richard (6-1) or Tyson Ross (6-1) starts.
 
Friday night marked only the fourth time in 36 games that the Padres won after trailing following the sixth inning.
 
The Padres are 25-4 when they score first. They are 24-5 when they allow three or fewer runs. And they are 25-10 when they score four or more.
 
Friday night's win in Atlanta snapped an eight-game losing streak in Georgia.
 
NOTEBOOK
 
--SS Freddy Galvis' five-hit game Friday night was the first by a Padre since Jonathan Jay went 5-for-6 on June 2, 2016, against the Mariners. Galvis was 5-for-5 with a double, a homer and four RBIs. The effort raised his batting average 15 points to .242. Half of Galvis' four homers and three of his 13 doubles have come in the last seven games.
 
--Richard picked up a third straight win Friday night to even his record at 6-6. Richard went six or more innings for an eighth straight start -- the longest active streak in the Major Leagues by a left-hander. Outside the National League West, Richard has a 2.67 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in nine starts -- allowing 20 runs (19 earned) on 49 hits and 13 walks with 49 strikeouts in 64 innings. In six starts against National League West rivals -- only one of which came since Richard began his hot run -- the 34-year-old has a 7.80 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP -- giving up 27 runs (26 earned) on 37 hits and 19 walks with 28 strikeouts in 30 innings.

 
--When RHP Ross issued a fifth-inning walk to Ozzie Albies on Thursday, it snapped a 32-inning streak without a base on balls by Padres' pitchers, which tied the franchise record. Padres pitchers also went 32 consecutive innings without a walk from July 28-31, 1971. Before Albies' walk, Padres pitchers had not issued a walk in any of their last three games, the longest such streak in franchise history.
 
--LHP Jose Casitllo, 22, has 12 strikeouts while allowing one hit, one walk and hitting one batter in seven scoreless innings over his first four Major League appearances.
 
--2B Jose Pirela had gone 268 at-bats this season and 293 at-bats dating back to last September without a homer before he connected Friday night in Atlanta. Last season he had 10 homers in 312 at-bats.