ATLANTA — In what could have gone down as a reminder that there’s still time to salvage their season, the San Diego Padres challenged a first-place club Monday night and almost came out ahead.Almost. Not much separated the Padres from the Atlanta Braves, who emerged with a 3-2 win in the opener of a critical four-game series at Truist Park.Ultimately, a single run. A catcher’s interference that preceded a go-ahead double in the bottom of the fifth. Dueling oh-fers with runners in scoring position, even as the Padres outhit their hosts 7-4.The Braves, after all, are not so different. They entered the series having lost 20 of their past 32 games. Their rotation, outside of Chris Sale, is in shambles. Monday’s starter, Bryce Elder, had an 8.47 ERA over his previous seven outings.What ensued felt like a fitting encapsulation of the 2026 Padres. A day after pouring in a season-high 19 runs while avoiding a sweep by the last-place Kansas City Royals, they hit a pair of solo home runs off Elder but otherwise posed little threat. Meanwhile, they wasted an unexpected performance by JP Sears, who provided five efficient innings despite feeling under the weather.“I mean, that’s kind of how the season’s gone, right?” said first baseman Ty France. “Pitching shows up, (and) we don’t score enough. We score a lot, (and) we give up a lot.”And now, there isn’t much time left. Exactly two weeks before the trade deadline, the Padres (49-51) could have used Monday’s game to make a stand. They instead lost for the 33rd time in 53 games. Unlike the Braves (58-41), they have virtually no margin for error.