Braves climb back to .500 with a 5-2 win over the Padres

After a win behind Kyle Wright on Friday, the Braves had an opportunity to get back to .500 on Saturday and secure at least a series split with the Padres.

Ozzie wasted no time getting the Braves on the board, hitting a homer on the second pitch of the game.

Matt Olson continued his torrid hitting to start the season with a single of his own, followed by an Austin Riley walk, but they were stranded. In the bottom of the frame, Ian Anderson walked the leadoff batter, but settled in to retire the next three. In the second, Dansby hit a hustle double and Manny Pina launched a ball over the outfield wall with two outs, but unfortunately Trent Grisham reached up and over the outfield wall for a spectacular leaping grab to rob the homer.

Jurickson Profar tied the game in the second with a two out solo blast to right field (with a .280 xBA compared to .930 on the Pina “flyout”, might I add). Anderson struck out three in the inning, around the Profar blast. Matt Olson walked, which he is the league leader in at the moment, but that was the only baserunner for either team in the third. Adam Duvall lead off the fourth with a double that was smoked (and hit harder and farther than the Profar homer). Eddie Rosario drew a two out walk on five balls to bring up Pina, who didn’t hit a homer, but settled for an RBI grounder to beat the shift. Ozzie grounded out to end the inning with only one run scored though. After a clean frame from Ian, Matt Olson bopped an opposite field homer to lead off the fifth. He is absolutely scorching hot right now. After a scalding groundout from Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna TANKED a solo homer to left to make the score 4-1. Ian Anderson was done after 5.2 innings pitched, as Collin McHugh came in and promptly struck out Manny Machado.

After another clean inning from Ian, Dansby led off the sixth with a double, advanced to third on a Rosario groundout, and tagged up to score on a Manny Pina flyout to foul territory. In the bottom of the inning, McHugh got two outs before Eric Hosmer reached on a tough ground ball to third base. Will Smith was brought in for the final out of the seventh and got it. The Braves went down in order in the top eighth, and Will Smith got all three outs in the bottom eighth, but not before allowing a solo homer to Trent Grisham. The game went to the ninth with a score of 5-2, Braves leading. Manny Pina was hit by a pitch and Matt Olson smoked a line drive single, but Atlanta couldn’t add on any runs. Kenley Jansen got the chance to get the save and close out the game and weirdly got into a pretty heated argument with the home plate umpire before throwing his first pitch after the umpire prevented Kenley from getting his full warmup routine in. Despite the initial weirdness, Kenley struck out Machado for the first out and closed out the game with ease in a 1-2-3 inning before proceeding to give the umpire another earful.

The Braves are back to .500 and will have a chance to win their first series of the season behind Bryce Elder, facing off against Yu Darvish at 7:08 PM ET on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.