*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*
This was a matchup between good teams, and it was entertaining. Nelson Cruz drove in two runs, Xander Bogaerts had an RBI, and the San Diego Padres defeated the Atlanta Braves with a 5-4 victory on Friday night in Atlanta.
Behind the contributions of Cruz and Bogaerts, the Padres improved to 4-4 to start the season after having dropped their last two games. In the middle of a 4 game series, both teams now have one win, although the Padres were able to deal the Braves only their second loss of the season.
Cruz got the party started for the Padres in the first inning, giving them a 1-0 lead on a double to right field that scored Juan Soto. With the bases loaded in the first, Austin Nola worked a walk, scoring Manny Machado to make it a 2-0 lead. Jose Azocar scored in the second inning on a single from Cruz to make it a 3-0 game. A Marcell Ozuna solo home run in the bottom of the 3rd got the Braves on the board, making the score 3-1.
Later in the 3rd, Ronald Acuna Jr scored on a single from Austin Riley, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Matt Olson tied the game for the Braves when he scored on a wild pitch. In the top of the 5th, Jake Cronenworth put the Padres ahead 4-3 on a sac fly. In the bottom of the inning, Sean Murphy tied it 4-4 when he worked a bases loaded walk. In the 6th, Bogaerts provided the game winning hit, scoring Trent Grisham on a single to right field.
Nick Martinez got the start for the Padres, allowing 4 runs and striking out 4 hitters over 4 2/3 innings. Brent Honeywell pitched the next two innings of scoreless relief, getting his first MLB win in the process. Luis Garcia pitched the next 1 1/3 innings, followed by Josh Hader picking up the save.
Honeywell said of his first MLB win that "It’s a pretty surreal moment tonight. It takes a lot. Especially when you don't play for so long, it's like you kind of just feel like you're stuck in a wheel. A lot of my friends here never really let me get stuck in that wheel. Family, friends, a lot of people here know what I'm capable of. I was just happy to do it in front of them."
Rookie Jared Shuster started for the Braves, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in 4 innings pitched. Michael Tonkin allowed one run in two innings to get credited with the loss. Joe Jimenez, Jesse Chavez, and Lucas Luetge provided scoreless innings in relief.
Up next, the series continues on Saturday night. Michael Wacha will get the start for the Padres, opposed by Charlie Morton for the Braves.
Comments
Post a Comment