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ATL@WSH: Medlen fans seven over seven scoreless

SAN DIEGO -- No matter how much he insists otherwise, winning seems to come easy to Braves right-hander Kris Medlen.

Medlen (5-1, 1.86 ERA) broke a club record last time out as the Braves won for the 16th straight time when he started. On Tuesday night here, he'll look to keep that streak going against the red-hot Padres, winners of a season-high eight in a row.

"I've left about three or four of those starts with little freak accidents where I didn't even finish my job, really," Medlen said, downplaying the streak by noting a couple of occasions in which he had to leave with an injury. "The offense just kept scoring runs. I try to set the tone of the game and attack hitters."

Medlen was born in Artesia, Calif., and attended Gahr High School, less than two hours north of Petco Park. He said he'll have about 25 friends and family members in the crowd, including a handful of friends from high school.

With seven shutout innings in Washington his last time out, Medlen has now tossed 21 consecutive scoreless frames.

"Staying on the corners, really," Medlen said when asked for the key to his recent success. "It's helped me not to get into too much trouble. Being aggressive but being smart and careful at the same time."

With their loss on Monday, the Braves sit 1 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis for the first Wild Card and four ahead of Los Angeles for a playoff berth. They face Padres left-hander Andrew Werner, who is making his second career start, after he held the Pirates to two runs in six innings.

"As a competitor, you want to face the best teams," Werner said of making his second straight start against a team in the thick of the Wild Card race. "It shows you what you're made of. It's a lot of fun."

What has Werner learned from his first week in the big leagues?

"The biggest thing is that it's still baseball," Werner said. "Just try and stay away from doing anything that you're not capable of. Pound the strike zone, let them put it in play and your defense can make some plays."

Braves: Jones recognized
• Fans at Petco Park gave Braves third baseman Chipper Jones a standing ovation on Monday in a pregame ceremony celebrating his career.

Jones, who will retire at the end of the season, is playing his final series in San Diego. Though Petco Park is generally referred to as a pitchers' park, Jones has thrived there, hitting .315 with a .567 slugging percentage in 29 career games.

Before the game, Jones was presented with a customized surf board by former Padres reliever Trevor Hoffman.

Padres: Season over for Hundley
• Padres catcher Nick Hundley was placed on the 60-day disabled list Monday with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Hundley is scheduled to have surgery Wednesday to repair the meniscus -- an issue he said he has been dealing with since April.

"As long as I was able to play physically, I was going to play," Hundley said. "There's no excuses about the way I played."

Hundley batted just .167 this season for the Padres, before he was sent down to Triple-A Tucson, where he also struggled, hitting .190 in 13 games.

Hundley inked a three-year, $9 million contract extension in March.

Worth noting
• Hitters on the current Padres roster have 37 total plate appearances against Medlen and have mustered just six singles and a walk for a .167 average.

• Medlen's scoreless streak may be at 21 innings, but Padres reliever Luke Gregerson has done him two better. The right-hander hasn't given up a run in 23 frames, the second longest active streak in baseball, behind Tampa Bay's J.P. Howell.

• Jason Heyward is hitting .379 with two homers and nine doubles in 17 games lifetime against the Padres.

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