SAN DIEGO _ The front office spent the last three days adding option for what the Padres believe, hope, pray will be a prosperous future. At the moment, after five relievers teamed up for 13 strikeouts in a 3-1 win over Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park, the present doesn't quite look entirely desolate.
Forget the standings.
Sitting five games out in early June is about the NL West coming back to San Diego.
This is about baby steps following a 10-20 start.
After a 15-13 May, the Padres have won four of their first six games this month and three straight series, the finale secure via a bullpen day against an upstart Braves team that arrived at Petco Park this week in first place in the NL East.
The Padres (29-35) had tried this before, had tried left-hander Matt Strahm as the opener.
Last time, in a 6-1 loss in LA, Strahm opened with two shutout frames before his bullpen mates fated.
He was nearly as sharp this time _ only Freddie Freeman's two-out homer in the first hurt him _ before the tag-teaming ensued.
Left-hander Jose Castillo followed 2 1/3 innings from Strahm with two strikeouts among his five outs recorded.
Adam Cimber struck out the side in the fifth, Kirby Yates pushed through two scoreless innings and Brad Hand converted his first six-out save since 2014 despite Ozzie Albies' leadoff double to start the eighth.
The feat required Hand _ the favorite to return to the All-Star Game _ to strike out Dansby Swanson, Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis in order with the tying run standing on second base.
He retired all three hitters he faced in the ninth without incident.
Just the way Padres manager Andy Green drew it up?
More or less.
All told, the Johnny Wholestaff effort combined for a line that would qualify as a gem: Nine innings, four hits, one run, two walks and 13 strikeouts.
Castillo was credited with the win.
The Padres got just enough timely hitting off right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, fresh off his first career shutout.
Hunter Renfroe led off the second with a single and scored from first on Cory Spangenberg's ensuing triple into the right-center alley. Manuel Margot's two-out single to right opened up a 2-1 lead before Eric Hosmer struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Freddy Galvis squeezed in an insurance run in the eighth.
