Braves at Padres
The All-Star break came at the right time for Fernando Tatis Jr., as the San Diego Padres rookie shortstop used the four days off to rest a sore left elbow in advance of Friday’s home series opener against the Atlanta Braves. Hit on the elbow by a pitch Saturday, Tatis responded Sunday by becoming the youngest Padre to record a multi-homer game with two longballs, the 13th and 14th homers of the season for the 20-year-old who is hitting .327 with a 1.013 OPS.
“You don’t take his talent for granted,” San Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer told reporters after Sunday’s 5-3 victory, which moved the Padres to .500 on the season and within two games of the final National League wild-card spot. “It’s incredible what he does. You forget his age in all that.” While the Padres have won three in a row following a five-game losing streak, Atlanta begins the second half six games up in the NL East after winning 24 of its past 34 games dating to June 1. Center fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. continues establishing himself as one of baseball’s brightest young stars, the 21-year-old hitting .301 with 14 homers and 47 runs scored in 53 games since being moved to the leadoff spot in the Braves lineup. “I was extremely excited to be here for my first All-Star game,” Acuna told reporters after taking part in his first all-star game, one night after reaching the semifinals of the Home Run Derby. “Hopefully, there will be many more to come.”
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS South (Atlanta), FS San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Dallas Keuchel (2-2, 3.60 ERA) vs. Padres RH Dinelson Lamet (0-1, 5.40)
Keuchel makes his fifth start since signing with Atlanta last month, and in past two outings has allowed only four runs on 10 hits with three walks in 14 1/3 innings. The 31-year-old earned the win in the Braves' final game before the All-Star break Sunday, holding Miami to two runs on five hits with one walk in 7 1/3 innings, throwing 71 of his 108 pitches for strikes. Keuchel, who has recorded at least 10 ground-ball outs in each of his first four starts, has not allowed more than three earned runs in an outing.
Lamet gets his second start since returning to the majors for the first time since 2017 on July 4, when he allowed three runs on three hits with seven strikeouts in five innings of a loss to the Dodgers. The 26-year-old went 7-8 with a 4.57 ERA in 21 starts two seasons ago, averaging 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings, before missing all of last season after injuring his elbow late in spring training and undergoing Tommy John surgery. Lamet gave up 16 runs on 21 hits with 33 strikeouts in 24 innings across six minor-league rehab starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. The two teams split a four-game series April 29-May 2 in Atlanta, the Padres scoring 11 of their 17 runs in the series in the series finale.
2. Atlanta 1B Freddie Freeman leads the NL in hits (110) while ranking seventh in average (.309) and on-base percentage (.394), and eighth in homers (23) and slugging percentage (.584).
3. Padres RHP Kirby Yates leads the majors with 30 saves, and owns a 0.79 WHIP with 60 strikeouts in 39 innings.