Braves Fall Short in Season Opener Against Padres

A new season has arrived!

A Perfect Day for Baseball

Opening Day at Petco Park couldn’t have been scripted any better with blue skies, a packed house, and the anticipation of a fresh MLB season. The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres squared off in what promised to be an exciting matchup, featuring 2024 Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale toeing the rubber for Atlanta and Michael King getting the start for San Diego.

Beyond the usual events of Opening Day, this game had its share of intriguing storylines. Drake Baldwin, Atlanta’s highly touted catching prospect, became the first Braves player to make his MLB debut as a starting catcher on Opening Day. Meanwhile, Matt Olson extended his impressive ironman streak, making his 621st consecutive MLB start, the longest active streak in baseball.

Braves Strike First, But Padres Answer

The Braves wasted no time setting the tone. Former Padre Jurickson Profar led off the season with a sharp single to right field. After back-to-back walks to Olson and Marcell Ozuna, the bases were loaded with one out. Ozzie Albies put the Braves on the board, grounding into a fielder’s choice to bring Profar home. It wasn’t flashy, but it gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead.

San Diego responded immediately. Fernando Tatis Jr. ripped a leadoff single, and after Manny Machado reached, Jackson Merrill delivered a clutch two-RBI single, flipping the score in favor of the Padres, 2-1, after the first inning.

The Long Ball Swings the Momentum

Atlanta went quietly in the second, but Sale kept the Padres off the board, striking out two and working around a single. Then, in the third, the Braves turned up the heat.

Albies stepped up and blasted a towering 413-foot home run to right field, putting Atlanta back on top, 3-2. That was the end of the road for Michael King, as the Padres turned to Alek Jacob in relief. Jacob got Arcia to end the inning, but the momentum had shifted.

However, just like earlier, the Padres had an answer. Merrill grounded out to first, but it was enough to bring Manny Machado home, tying the game once again at 3-3.

Braves Take Control… Temporarily

The back-and-forth battle continued in the fourth when Austin Riley crushed a 401-foot homer to left-center, putting Atlanta ahead 4-3. Olson and Ozuna followed with back-to-back singles, forcing another Padres pitching change. Yuki Matsui came in and managed to escape the jam by getting Albies to fly out.

Chris Sale seemed to hit his stride, delivering a dominant 1-2-3 fourth inning and following it up with two more strikeouts in the fifth. His final line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 K on 84 pitches, a solid start, but with little room for error.

Dylan Lee took over in the sixth, retiring the Padres in order and keeping Atlanta’s slim lead intact.

Late-Inning Collapse

Everything unraveled in the eighth. Hector Neris entered for Atlanta and immediately ran into trouble. Gavin Sheets crushed a deep home run to dead center, barely escaping the outstretched glove of Michael Harris II. After two more hits, including Tatis Jr.’s third of the game, Brian Snitker had seen enough and called on Aaron Bummer to stop the bleeding.

But the damage was done. Luis Arraez lifted a sacrifice fly, Jason Heyward, a former Brave favorite, crossed home plate, and Manny Machado ripped an RBI double. Before the inning was over, Jackson Merrill added his fourth RBI on a sac fly, stretching the Padres’ lead to 7-4. What had been a winnable game for Atlanta was suddenly slipping away.

Ninth-Inning Hope Fizzles Out

Jason Adam made quick work of the Braves in the eighth, sending them down in order. That left Atlanta with just three outs to mount a comeback.

Robert Suarez came in to close things out for the Padres. Profar struck out to start the ninth, but Riley reached on a throwing error, and Olson drew a walk, giving the Braves some late hope. But Ozuna went down swinging, and Albies rolled a routine grounder to second, sealing the 7-4 Padres victory.

Postgame Thoughts

On Chris Sale’s Performance: He did what he needed to do. Seven strikeouts in five innings with only one walk, you take that every time. The bullpen just couldn’t hold it down for the Braves in the opener. This continues the questions on why Alex Anthopoulos didn’t make more pitching moves in the off-season. 

On the Braves’ Missed Chances: They had early momentum but left the door open for San Diego. The eighth inning was a mess. Giving up four runs that late? You can’t do that and expect to win.

On the Braves' Offense: They showed flashes. Riley and Albies both went deep, and the top of the lineup got on base. But after the fourth, they didn’t do enough. No runs after the fifth inning isn’t going to cut it. Luckily it's only Opening Day so nothing to stress over.

Looking Ahead

The Braves and Padres will be back at it tomorrow at 9:40 p.m. ET for Game 2 of their opening series. Fans can watch on FanDuel Sports South and Southeast, with radio coverage on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan and 105.5 The ROAR FM in Clemson.