San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves – Box Score – July 20, 2010 – ESPN.

I don’t want to speak too soon… but the Braves might be about to run away with this. At least they’re in position to, with the Mets and Phillies struggling and the Braves continuing to monotonously win two games a series. Tonight, they took over possession of the best record in the league from the Padres, at 55-38.

Jair Jurrjens allowed just a solo homer to Chris Denorfia (who?) in the second, but was lucky that the homer came when it did. In the first, the Padres got three baserunners, thanks largely to an error on Martin Prado, but Melky threw out scrappy, gutty, putrid David Eckstein at the plate to end the inning. Another Prado error came right after Denorfia’s homer, and was later followed by a walk, but Jurrjens got out of that, too. They got a couple of two-out hits in the fourth, one by the pitcher, but Jurrjens got a strikeout to end it — and the Braves took over the game from there.

Glaus walked his way on in the bottom of the fourth, and the red-hot Matt Diaz followed with a homer to give the Braves the lead. In the seventh, Prado and Heyward hit back-to-back doubles — Heyward smoked everything he hit tonight, and had three hits — and Diaz later drove Heyward home to make it 4-1. AAG hit into a bases-loaded double play to end the inning, but it was more than enough runs.

Jurrjens for the first time didn’t tire, and even seemed to get stronger as the game went on. He finished with seven strikeouts — he seems to be striking more batters out than ever since his return — and allowed five hits and three walks over seven innings. The back of the bullpen, the briefly not-suspended Venters and the everpresent Wagner, each had no problems in pitching an inning. Braves Baseball, 2010: Wear down the opposing pitcher (97 pitches through six) and get the lead to the eighth, and you’re golden.