Padres dominate Braves, complete four-game sweep
SAN DIEGO (KYMA, KECY) - The San Diego Padres made a statement to open the season, completing a four-game sweep over the Atlanta Braves with a 5-0 victory on Sunday night.
It's the first time San Diego has started 4-0 since 1998, the last year they reached the World Series. Meanwhile, the Braves are off to their worst start since 2021, the same year they rebounded to win it all.
Nick Pivetta was electric in his Padres debut, tossing seven innings of one-hit ball while facing the minimum 21 batters. His only blemish was a third-inning single by Orlando Arcia, but a fielder's choice quickly erased the baserunner.
Pivetta struck out four and didn’t issue a walk, setting the tone for a dominant night on the mound. Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada each pitched a hitless inning to secure the combined one-hitter.
Manny Machado returned to the lineup after exiting Saturday's game with a calf cramp and wasted no time making an impact. His first-inning RBI double brought in Fernando Tatis Jr., who had reached on a checked-swing double to right field. Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill, and Brandon Lockridge all added RBI doubles, while Tatis drove in another run before being thrown out stretching for second.
The Braves' offense struggled again, managing just one hit and one walk all night. Marcell Ozuna worked a free pass in the eighth, but Atlanta failed to capitalize. Starting pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver allowed two runs on six hits across four innings, while the Braves' bullpen surrendered three more runs.
With the loss, Atlanta has now dropped six straight games at Petco Park, including last season's Wild Card series. They'll look to get in the win column Monday night in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, while the red-hot Padres continue their homestand against Cleveland.
