It wasn't looking promising early in the day that the Atlanta Braves would get their second home game in with looming storms. The weather ended up cooperating and we were rewarded with a highly competitive matchup. Unfortunately, a game littered with walks on both sides, ended up going the Padres way.
It was more of the same from Jared Shuster in his second career start. He nearly mirrored his debut with several walks and hits allowed in the first inning. Unfortunately, he didn't settle in as well this time as he allowed a tack on run in the second inning and also was responsible for the additional run scoring in the fourth inning when he was relieved by Michael Tonkin.
The Braves answered with four runs of their own in the early going. Marcell Ozuna got the scoring going with a mammoth home run that was projected at 440 feet. Five walks, a wild pitch, and an Austin Riley single over the next two innings would tie the game up at 4. The Padres quickly regained the lead in the top of the 6th inning on a check swing single by Xander Bogaerts.
The Padres bullpen settled in and shut the Braves down the rest of the way. Atlanta ended the fifth and seventh innings with the bases loaded and not cashing in on those opportunities would ultimately be the difference. The Braves had issues getting one run across, seemingly for the first time all year, as they went from the sixth to the ninth inning without being able to bring one across.
The Braves will look to take the series lead back in game three tomorrow, weather permitting. First pitch is scheduled for 7:20 EST at Truist Park.
One last thing worth noting....with Kyle Wright expected to be back the next turn through the rotation, this could be the last time we see Jared Shuster in an Atlanta uniform for a while. Hopefully he can refine his command in Gwinnett and be an asset for the team in the future.