A large chunk of the East Coast probably went to bed happy on Monday night after the Atlanta Braves (13-4) took down the San Diego Padres (8-10) on the road. It was a bit of payback after San Diego took three of four from the Braves in Atlanta earlier in the month. The first game of this series also highlighted everything going right for the Braves and wrong for the Padres right now. Baseball is all about having a short memory though, something San Diego hopes will work in their favor. They host the series final in Petco Park before hitting the road, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. EST.
7?? in a row! pic.twitter.com/cV8KMWplGe
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 18, 2023
Winning seven in a row is never easy, especially when over half of those games are on the road. Yet, that's exactly what the Braves had accomplished after winning Monday night. Game one of this set was the first in which Atlanta didn't score at least six runs, but when you toss a shutout you only need one run.
Before play on Tuesday, the Braves offense ranked top five in most key categories such as homers, runs, batting average, OBP, and slugging. They were sixth in total walks drawn and eighth in walk rate. Their greatest issue is striking out, as they're 21st in strikeout rate. Big bats like Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, and Austin Riley can mask that on any given night though.
So can amazing pitching, which Charlie Morton will hope to provide in his fourth start of the season. Morton allowed exactly three runs in each of his first three starts of 2023. He's 3-1 with a 3.63 ERA in four career Petco Park starts but will contend with some nemeses in this one. Xander Bogaerts has a .972 OPS against Morton in over 40 plate appearances, while Nelson Cruz is batting .323 against him in 31 at-bats. Then there's Juan Soto, who is 6-8 with five walks against Morton, including two homers. Soto's OPS is 2.346 against Morton.
If Morton can escape, he'll hand the ball to a bullpen that's been elite in April. Atlanta's relievers are top-five in ERA and WAR after Monday's win. They're also top-10 in FIP, led by a BB/9 that's fourth in baseball.