Our Padres kicked off their series in Atlanta with a solid 5-2 win over the Braves. This afternoon they look to keep the ball rolling and clinch at least a series split while extending their winning streak to four games.
Odrisamer Despaigne has been an outstanding addition to the Padres pitching staff in his first Major League season season. The rookie has allowed one run or fewer in four of his five major league starts, and his last time out may have been his most impressive yet. He came within just four outs of throwing the franchise's first-ever no-hitter. In the end he gave up just one run on two hits, though he wasn't credited with the decision in the 3-1 Padres victory. Despaigne threw a season-high 123 pitches in that outing, earning himself an extra day of rest coming into this afternoon's contest.
With the way the Padres have been hitting since coming back from the All-Star Break, and the way the Braves have strugggled lately, Despaigne has even more reason to be confident. In the seven games so far in this latter half of the season, San Diego has combined for 48 runs while collecting five wins. In the three-game winning streak going into today's matchup, they've batted a collective .318 with 26 runs scored. The Braves, on the other hand, are hitting just .196 as a team with 16 runs scored during their current 1-4 stretch.
Julio Teheran looks to help the Braves even up the series, however, as he takes the mound tonight. Teheran has been arguably the best pitcher on the staff this season, leading the team in ERA (2.64) and strikeouts (127). However, he's gotten the short end of the run support stick, receiving two runs or fewer in 11 of his 21 starts. His most recent outing was no different, as he kept the Marlins to just one run in seven innings while tying a career-high with 11 strikeouts. But his offense gave him only one run on six hits, and a loss to boot. But Teheran has been much luckier at home in 2014, going 3-1 with a 1.23 ERA in 10 starts.
First pitch for the second of the four-game set in Atlanta is scheduled for 4:10 PT this afternoon.
And don't forget to check out today's SB Nation Fantasy Baseball league on FanDuel. It's $2 to join and first prize is $2,000. You can join at this link.