The good news for the Atlanta Braves is that they’re done seeing the San Diego Padres, at least for the regular season. The Braves are likely happy to be done with the Padres for this season because it certainly didn’t go well in San Diego and it didn’t go much better for this series in Cobb County.
While it’s understandable to be frustrated with the Padres essentially making this season series a mockery with their dominance, this series did provide the best news the Braves have had all season. Ronald Acuña Jr. is back and he made it clear that he is healthy and ready to make a huge impact for Atlanta.
San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves Series Recap
Game 1: Padres 2, Braves 1
Braves fans couldn’t have asked for a better start to this game, as Chris Sale made quick work of the Padres in the first inning to set the stage for Acuña’s at-bat. For some reason, Nick Pivetta served up a 93-MPH fastball right down the middle on the first pitch that Acuña Jr. would see and he hit it deep into the seats to send Truist Park into a frenzy.
Unfortunately, that was the high point of the night for Atlanta. Sale gave up a home run to Gavin Sheets in the very next inning and while that ended up being the only run he’d give up over seven innings, the Braves offense was unable to muster up anything else. It came down to the ninth inning, which is when Raisel Iglesias gave up a homer to Manny Machado that made it 2-1. Atlanta did make it look like they were about to pull off another late-game rally until Eli White made a terrible baserunning mistake that snuffed out what seemed like a promising comeback attempt.
Game 2: Braves 7, Padres 1
For the second consecutive game, a Braves starting pitcher went deep into the game while only giving up a minimum of runs. Grant Holmes was exceptional in this one, as he went seven innings while striking out six and only giving up one run with just one walk. He’s beginning to get into a groove, as that’s now three straight starts where he’s been very effective for Atlanta.
This time there were no concerns about Holmes’ start going in vain as Atlanta’s bats came alive for this one. Matt Olson went deep early on and the game was 3-1 Braves until the sixth inning, which is when Acuña Jr. would hit another homer in this series. His sixth-inning bomb plus a strong seventh inning from the rest of the lineup was enough to deliver the knockout blow for Atlanta as they cruised to their first win over the Padres in 2025.
Game 3: Padres 5, Braves 3
Atlanta was actually in control for the first half of this game, as they were up 3-1 after five innings. Ozzie Albies continued what’s been a decent resurgence at the plate as of late, as he’s now on an 11-game hitting streak and has been hitting .366 during that span, so clearly he’s starting to figure some things out at the plate and most fans knew it was only a matter of time.
However, from the sixth inning on, this game belonged to the Padres. San Diego homered in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. It’s safe to say that the Braves are tired of seeing Machado and Sheets since those two homered yet again in this series. The late surge of power from the Padres went unmatched by the Braves, resulting in another series loss for Atlanta at the hands of the Padres.
Final Thoughts
While it’s great to have Acuña Jr. back in the fold, it was extremely disappointing that Atlanta could not take advantage of that and win this series at home. The Padres continued to exert their dominance over Atlanta and this also served as a sad ending to what’s been a rough go of it for the Braves against the two NL Southern California teams. Atlanta has now finished the regular season 2-11 against the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. This could be problematic as there is likely no avoiding these two teams if Atlanta wants to get back to the World Series, as the Dodgers and Padres will almost certainly be in the Postseason.
With that being said, it’s a long road from now to October. The Braves still have to re-cross the bridge to the sunny side of .500, as they’re now a couple of games under this mark. Now they get set for a trip to Philadelphia to take on the defending NL East Champions. Atlanta did take the series against the Philadelphia Phillies in their last meeting, but they’ll certainly need to up their game if they want to avoid a fate similar to the one they just suffered against the Padres.
Main Image: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
