All three of the Padres runs came via Yasmani Grandal. Grandal socked a two-run bomb in the bottom of the second, that put the Padres ahead 2-0. Grandal gave the Padres an important insurance run in the eighth to put the Padres up by three.

August 27, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Casey Kelly (49) throws during the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

The story of the night was Casey Kelly and his golden arm. Kelly changed speeds effectively, and hit 95 MPH on the radar gun. His breaking-ball looked sharp, and Kelly showed his advanced fielding skills. Kelly, a former minor league shortstop also delivered with his first career hit — a sharp single up the middle.

Kelly turned the game over to the bullpen, and they slammed the door short. Tom Layne pitched a scoreless seventh, and turned things over to Dale Thayer. Thayer made his first appearance since the birth of his daughter. The Padres new closer, Luke Gregerson slammed the door for his 2nd save.

Kelly looked poised and could make a case for a rotation spot for 2013. With results like tonight, Padres fans have to be encouraged about his future.

NOTES: To make room on the 25-man roster, the Padres optioned Brad Boxberger to AAA Tucson. The Padres opened a 40-man roster spot for Kelly by placing catcher Nick Hundley on the 60-day DL.

Jason Marquis could not match the magic that he had in his last outing. Marquis pitched a two-hit shutout in his last outing, but Thursday evening was not as kind to him. Marquis gave up three homers and lasted just 4.2 innings. Marquis gave up eight hits and six earned runs. Marquis took the loss, dropping his record to 6-7.

Aug 5, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Jason Marquis (38) pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

The Padres managed just five hits, with Marquis having the only extra base-hit of the game for the Padres. Chase Headley did go 2-4 with a pair of singles, and Yonder Alonso also had a hit.

One silver lining in the dismal performance by the Padres, is that their young bullpen did not allow any runs. Cory Burns, Brad Boxberger, and Tom Layne combined to give the Padres 3.1 scoreless innings. They allowed just two hits and a walk, both by Boxberger.

The Padres will return tomorrow evening to start a series with the Giants.

Hinshaw saw quite a bit of action for the Padres in 2012. Hinshaw posted a 4.50 ERA in 32 games for the Padres. He showed flashes of brilliance, striking out nearly 12 batters per nine innings pitched. Hinshaw also walked 20 batters in his 28 innings of work. His last appearance came Sunday for the Padres, as he pitched a scoreless inning in a loss to Pittsburgh.

Aug 7, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Alex Hinshaw (41) pitches during the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Layne, who is 27, was acquired in a trade with the Diamondbacks on May 3, for cash considerations. He started five games for AAA Tucson, posting a 7.77 ERA. He was demoted to AA San Antonio, and was used exclusively out of the bullpen for the Missions. In 32 games for San Antonio, Layne posted an 0-5 record, with a 3.33 ERA. He did average a strikeout per inning in AA.

Layne made his ML debut Tuesday night, and pitched a scoreless inning in the loss to Atlanta.