Bud Black lost it for the Padres.

For the second consecutive game, Thatcher (0-4, 6.75) entered the game in its most important moment and blew it.

He loaded the bases and gave up the winning run. Atlanta won 5-4.

In his first start of the season, Wil Ledezma gave up one run, none earned, in four innings. Shawn Estes gave up two runs, none earned, in 1.2 innings — his first appearance since April 5, 2006. Cla Meredith gave up one run, none earned, in 0.1 innings, and Heath Bell pitched two shutout innings.

Even if Black had good reason to take out Ledezma after four innings and to pitch Meredith for only 0.1 innings — and he may well have — bringing in Thatcher into a tie game in the ninth inning isn’t defensible.

Thatcher and Glendon Rusch are the worst pitchers on a 12-man staff.

Thatcher had pitched the day before, and he had pitched poorly.

Thatcher is a poor pitcher.

Black should have taken Thatcher out after he gave up two hits. It’s a high leverage situation. He showed he couldn’t get it done.

Black should have brought in Trevor Hoffman. As the closer, he is supposed to be one of the best pitchers on the staff. Granted, Hoffman has had some shaky outings this season, but he’s better than Thatcher.

Hoffman has pitched in just three of the last 14 games.

Black could have brought in Justin Germano, who should have been available to pitch multiple innings if the game went extra innings since it would have been his turn in the old rotation.

In Black’s defense, second baseman Callix Crabbe made two errors and Khalil Greene made another, making all of Atlanta’s runs unearned.

So the middle infield made the ninth inning a high leverage situation.

But the Padres did muster four runs with a lineup that included Crabbe (.176 average), Scott Hairston (.210), Greene (.209), Justin Huber (.200), Colt Morton (.067), who had his first major league hit.

Entering the ninth inning, the Padres had a chance to win the game, and Black and Thatcher blew that chance.
— Kevin Brewer