Easter Sunday comes to a close with Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN as the defending champion Atlanta Braves (5-5) face the San Diego Padres (5-5).
The Braves have taken two of the first three games in the series and go for the series win in the finale. The first pitch from Petco Park in San Diego is set for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.
The Braves won the season series 4-2 last year, taking all three games at Petco Park. The teams didn’t meet in 2020, and Atlanta has won every season series dating back to the 2015 season. The Braves are 8-1 in their last nine games at Petco Park and 11-5 overall in the last 16 games.
Braves Rely on Long Ball
The Braves have won the last two games by identical 5-2 scores after San Diego won the series opener 12-1 on Thursday. They are 4-0 this season when scoring at least five runs in a game and 2-1 in games decided by two runs or less. They have allowed at least six runs in four of their five losses and have allowed double-digit runs twice already this season.
The Braves hit three home runs in Saturday’s win as Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, and Marcell Ozuna all went deep. Albies has homered in all three games in the series and leads the team with four homers and eight RBI on the season. Atlanta has 12 home runs in 10 games and rank in the top three in NL in long balls.
Olson had three hits on Saturday and remains red hot in his Braves debut season, batting .412 through 10 games. Ozuna is batting .325 in his return to play with three home runs and seven RBI. On the cold side to start the season is Dansby Swanson at .171 and Eddie Rosario at 0.38.
The Braves turn to 21-year-old RHP Bryce Elder on the mound to win the series Sunday. Elder beat Washington on Tuesday in his MLB debut. He allowed three runs on six hits over 5 ⅔ innings while striking out four and allowing two home runs.
This will be Elder’s first outing against the Padres, and he’s never faced any of their hitters in the Major Leagues. Sunday will also be his first-ever outing on national television.
Padres Need Darvish Bounce Back
After winning four straight, the Padres are 1-4 over their last five games. They scored 12 in the win over Atlanta on Thursday but have scored one or two runs in the other four losses in that stretch. They are 5-0 on the season when scoring at least three runs but have scored less than three on five occasions.
Eric Hosmer is hitting .394 on the season, including going 5-for-12 in the series with two doubles. Manny Machado, who is 8-for-12 against the Braves this week, including a 5-hit game on Thursday, is batting .350. Jurickson Profar homered on Saturday and leads the Padres with three homers and nine RBI on the season.
Newcomer Luke Voit is off to a slow start at .175 with no home runs. Rookie C.J. Abrams his first home run but is batting .083 while filling in for injured superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. at shortstop.
The Padres hand the ball to veteran RHP Yu Darvish Sunday night. Darvish was knocked around by San Francisco on Tuesday, allowing nine runs on eight hits in just 1 ⅔ innings. He walked two, struck out two, hit one, and allowed a home run in his second start of the season.
Darvish has only allowed one home run to a current Braves batter, Alex Dickerson. Ozuna has the most success against him, going 4-for-13 (.308) with four RBI.
Olson has never faced Darvish in the Majors, while the Padres hurler has success against Swanson (1-for-9) and Adam Duvall (0-for-6).
Betting Odds
- Atlanta Braves +1.5 (-185). Money Line +110
- San Diego Padres -1.5 (+155). Money Line -130
- Total Runs 8. Over -105. Under -115
The Braves’ offense has been wildly inconsistent so far this season, relying on the long ball. Darvish struggled mightily his last time out but threw six shutout innings on opening day.
This will be his first start, and look for him to bounce back and keep the Padres in the game if their offense can get to the Braves’ young prospect.
Betting Pick: Padres -130
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