SAN DIEGO — Deliver on the Dodgers.
The San Diego Padres swept the Atlanta Braves within the Wild Card Sequence, ambushing Braves starter Max Fried and hanging on for a 5-4 win Wednesday in Recreation 2 at Petco Park. It units up the third Padres-Dodgers NLDS matchup in 5 years. Recreation 1 is Saturday at Dodger Stadium: Dylan Stop versus Jack Flaherty.
Each Fried and Padres starter Joe Musgrove exited early Wednesday.
In what is likely to be his final Braves begin, Fried lasted solely two innings. He escaped a bases-loaded jam within the first inning, however was blasted for 5 runs — all with two outs — within the second. Kyle Higashioka homered, and Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill drove in two runs apiece. Machado now has 11 postseason RBI, tying Tony Gwynn for many in franchise historical past.
Musgrove departed within the fourth inning with an elbow harm. The Padres bullpen quieted many of the Braves lineup, however leadoff man Michael Harris II had three hits, together with a two-run homer off Jason Adam within the eighth to make it a one-run recreation.
Joe Musgrove’s harm dampens sweep
Moments earlier than his exit, Musgrove consecutively threw the 2 slowest pitches of his profession — a curveball at 75.2 mph and one other at 74.2 mph.
The Padres later introduced proper elbow tightness, a regarding improvement for a pitcher who twice went on the injured listing this yr due to elbow-related issues.
The Padres seemingly possess the depth to resist an prolonged absence for Musgrove. Michael King appears to be like like a possible ace, Dylan Stop and Yu Darvish will begin the primary two division-series video games in opposition to the Dodgers, and Martín Pérez has been greater than serviceable. Within the meantime, the bullpen is constructed to shorten video games.
However with out Musgrove, a confirmed playoff hero, the problem of beating L.A. and advancing deep into October may change into considerably tougher. And if he manages to return this month, the concern of re-injury can be excessive.
Max Fried’s postseason struggles hit a brand new low
In what may’ve been Max Fried’s remaining begin for the Braves, one of many most interesting escape acts of his profession — from a base-loaded, no-outs jam within the first inning — was adopted by one of many worst innings of his profession, on the most inopportune time. He gave up eight hits and 5 runs in two innings of Recreation 2 loss, exiting early as a result of ineffectiveness and ache within the left hip from being hit by a first-inning line drive.
Whereas the Braves stated there was nobody they’d quite have on the mound on this must-win state of affairs, and Fried earned a big-game fame and everlasting place in Braves lore along with his six scoreless innings within the 2021 World Sequence-clinching Recreation 6 win at Houston, there have been loads of postseason struggles for the lefty.
Fried has a 5.10 ERA in 20 postseason video games together with 12 begins, and in his previous six postseason begins he’s 1-4 with an 8.28 ERA and 41 hits allowed in 25 innings. That features that World Sequence win.
Half of the Padres’ eight hits off Fried didn’t go away the infield, however some very expensive ones did, starting with Kyle Higashioka’s two-out, game-tying solo homer within the second inning, which got here on a Fried mistake – a 1-and-2 fastball left over the center and waist-high.
That was the primary of six consecutive hits by the Padres, and the start of the tip for the Braves.
Padres overwhelm with two outs
All season, the Padres have pushed a sure mantra. It may be described like this: Once you persistently put the ball in play, good issues are inclined to occur.
That’s precisely what occurred within the backside of the second. The Padres turned the primary group in postseason historical past to get six consecutive hits and collectively hit for the cycle in the identical inning. They did all that with two outs. It began with Kyle Higashioka’s residence run — his second in two days — however it continued with a line-drive single, two straight infield singles, a double and a triple.
By the point the mud settled, San Diego had scored 5 runs that proved essential, given the Braves’ eventual surge. It was the fourth time in franchise historical past that the Padres scored no less than 5 runs in a playoff inning. It was their first time doing so since they scored 5 runs in Recreation 2 of the 2022 Nationwide League Championship in opposition to the Phillies.
— The Athletic’s Stephen J. Nesbitt contributed to this report.
(Photograph of Kyle Higashioka: Denis Poroy / Imagn Pictures)
