Rookies Mat Latos, Will Venable lead Padres to 4-2 win over Braves

Latos, Venable lift Padres to 4-2 win over Braves

SAN DIEGO — Mat Latos pitched seven strong innings and fellow rookie Will Venable drove in the go-ahead run and made a run-saving catch to give the San Diego Padres a 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.

The 21-year-old Latos settled down after allowing a run in each of the first two innings. The right-hander retired 15 of 16 batters in one stretch in his fourth big league start. He got a huge lift when Venable saved at least one run in the seventh with a diving catch in right field to end the inning.

Latos (3-1) gave up Brian McCann’s sacrifice fly in the first and a solo homer by Adam LaRoche in the second. He allowed two runs and six hits in his third solid start since coming up from Double-A San Antonio on July 18.

In his last outing, Latos gave up one run in seven innings in a 7-1 win at Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Heath Bell pitched a perfect ninth for his 27th save in 28 chances as San Diego won for the sixth time in seven games.

The Braves have lost seven of 11.

All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was rested by Padres manager Bud Black but kept his major-league best consecutive games streak alive at 314 when he entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning.

Venable, hitting in Gonzalez’s No. 3 spot in the lineup, had three hits and put San Diego ahead 3-2 in the third with a single that scored David Eckstein, who led off with a triple.

Venable made his diving catch in on a sinking line drive by pinch-hitter Greg Norton in the seventh inning with two outs and runners on first and third.

Latos received another big defensive play in the first when Garrett Anderson lifted a shallow ball to right field with runners on first and third and one out. Second baseman Eckstein made the catch and easily threw out Martin Prado, who tried to score after tagging up at third base.

LaRoche’s home run was his 13th this season and first since being traded from Boston to Atlanta on Friday.

Padres rookie Kyle Blanks hit a solo homer in the second off Kenshin Kawakami (5-9) to tie the game at 2-all. It was his sixth homer in 14 games after going without one in the first 21 games of his major league career after being recalled from Triple-A Portland on June 19.

Kawakami allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings as he lost for the third time in four starts.

NOTES: Latos has limited hitters to a .190 average. … Braves SS Yunel Escobar (bruised right wrist) played for the first time in four games since he left Thursday’s game after being hit by a pitch against Florida. He went 1 for 4.