Braves at Padres
Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson entered last offseason as two of the top offensive free agents, and both will look to continue their impressive power surges of late as the Atlanta Braves aim for a three-game series sweep Sunday against the host San Diego Padres. Both players have belted three homers in the series so far, with Donaldson hitting two in Friday’s opener and Machado going deep twice on Saturday, but it was the Braves rallying for a 7-5, 10-inning victory in the middle contest.
Donaldson, who has recorded 12 homers since June 12 and six in his last seven contests, scored after drawing leadoff walks in both the eighth and 10th innings on Saturday as Atlanta remained six games ahead of Washington in the National League East. Ozzie Albies’ single in the 10th plated Donaldson and gave the Braves their 20th victory in their last 28 away from home, raising their NL-leading road record to 28-18. Machado has registered 13 homers since June 12 and has gone deep four times in his last five games against Atlanta, giving him 23 blasts on the season. Francisco Mejia homered on Saturday, giving him a 16-game on-base streak in contests he’s started dating back to May 1.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FS South (Atlanta), FS San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Mike Soroka (9-1, 2.42 ERA) vs. Padres RH Cal Quantrill (2-2, 4.83)
Soroka resumes his quest for NL Rookie of the Year after pitching a scoreless inning in Tuesday’s All-Star Game as he entered Saturday tied for fifth place in wins and would be fourth in ERA if he had enough innings pitched in order to qualify. The 21-year-old, who has limited opponents to a .220 batting average and .567 OPS while posting a 1.05 WHIP during the first half, gave up four runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings on July 4 against Philadelphia. Soroka beat the Padres on April 29, allowing one run and four hits with eight strikeouts in six frames.
Quantrill will be making his eighth start and 12th appearance of his rookie season, after giving up three runs and five hits with a walk and four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings against San Francisco in his return to the rotation on July 3. The 24-year-old was moved to the bullpen after posting a 5.23 ERA over his first six starts and has gone 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in four relief appearances. Quantrill lost to the Braves in his major-league debut on May 1 at Atlanta, surrendering two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 5-1 setback.
WALK-OFFS
1. Padres RHP Kirby Yates, who leads the major leagues with 30 saves, may not be available for the series finale after blowing a save opportunity in the eighth and throwing 33 pitches in two innings on Saturday.
2. Atlanta CF Ronald Acuna Jr. extended his career-best on-base streak to 19 games with a game-tying homer in the seventh, the longest active streak in the NL.
3. San Diego CF Manuel Margot, who had walked 16 times in 214 plate appearances this season, drew three free passes on Saturday.