Padres' slumping offense seeks answers vs. Braves

July 12 - They say baseball is a funny game.

It doesn't seem so funny at the moment for the San Diego Padres as they prepare to open a three-game series Friday night against the visiting Atlanta Braves.

On July 5, San Diego rallied for a 10-8 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks to boost their record to a season-high six games over .500. Since then, the Padres have lost four in a row, with a normally potent offense going library-silent over the past three games.

The Padres managed only four runs in that three-game span, most recently getting shut out 2-0 by the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. They failed to cash in a bases-loaded chance in the second inning, then stranded the tying runs on base in…