SAN DIEGO - Padres pitcher Chris Young wanted to appeal his five-game suspension in the worst way. But he knew that, if he took a chance, it could be detrimental to the club's cause.

So with the team's best interest in mind, Young dropped his appeal before Thursday's game, and immediately began serving the punishment he received for his involvement in a June 16 altercation in Chicago.

"From my standpoint, I thought I had a strong case - at least a decent chance of getting it reduced," Young said after his start Wednesday night. "But it's somewhat subjective."

The Padres will hardly be affected by the suspension. Because Young pitched Wednesday, his turn in the rotation won't come up over the team's final four games before the All-Star break. He could return to the mound for the second game of the second half.

"He'll jump back on the horse sometime after the All-Star game," Padres manager Bud Black said.

Ring stating his case

Since his recall from Triple-A Portland on June 22, reliever Royce Ring has been placed in several tight situations. The 26-year-old left-hander hopes he has been impressive enough in those chances to warrant a longer stay when Doug Brocail returns from the disabled list.

Ring, who was acquired last November with Heath Bell from the New York Mets, is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 6 2/3 innings. He struggled in the Padres' 6-4 loss Tuesday but has been effective in other outings.

"That makes me believe they think I can get it done," Ring said. "And they'll throw me out there in those situations because I can get those outs."

Black said Ring's numbers have warranted an extended look.

"That's an indication of his performance," Black said. "He's shown good stuff and has the weapons to be successful here."

Said Ring: "Hopefully, there are a few more days."

Et cetera

RHP Doug Brocail's socks were still sopping wet about 20 hours after he pitched in 113-degree heat in Lake Elsinore on Wednesday night. … LHP Shawn Estes (left elbow surgery) pitched his second scoreless inning of the week for the Padres' rookie team in Peoria, Ariz., on Wednesday night.

Padres On Deck

vs. Atlanta

Where: Petco Park

Probable pitchers:

Friday - RHP Buddy Carlyle (2-2, 4.74 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Germano (5-2, 3.12), 7:05 p.m.

Saturday - LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (0-0, 0.00) vs. LHP David Wells (4-5, 4.16), 12:55 p.m.

Sunday - RHP Kyle Davies (3-7, 5.85) vs. RHP Greg Maddux (7-5, 3.96), 5:05 p.m.

TV: 4 SD today, Ch. 6 Saturday, ESPN Sunday

Radio: XPRS (1090 AM, 105.7 FM); XEMO (860 AM, Spanish)

At a glance: The Braves entered Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers having lost three of their past four games. But Atlanta might have suffered a far greater loss Wednesday when it announced that RHP John Smoltz, who has a team-best 3.07 ERA, would miss his scheduled start on Saturday with a shoulder ailment. Smoltz (9-5) had already elected to skip the All-Star game. … Last season, the Braves were an offensive powerhouse at Petco Park, as they outscored the Padres 50-29 and won five of six games. After combining for four runs in their first two games in San Diego, the Braves posted double digits in each of the next four games. OF Andruw Jones, who was hitting .201 entering Thursday, was 8-for-24 with three doubles, four homers and 10 RBIs in San Diego last year, while 3B Chipper Jones was a whopping 13-for-26 with four homers. Chipper Jones leads the Braves with a .325 average, 13 homers and 39 RBIs. … SS Edgar Renteria has a team-high 53 runs with 10 homers and a .321 average, while OF Jeff Francouer has a team-high 53 RBIs.

- Dan Hayes