In stark contrast to Friday’s loss, all three facets of the game were effective for Atlanta, in a 7-1 win
Following an ugly loss Friday night, the Braves were hoping to even the series with San Diego behind Grant Holmes. They caught a break before the game, as Padres’ starter Michael King, who is having a great year, was scratched and the Padres had to opt for a bullpen game.
Grant Holmes worked around a softly hit single and double in the first to keep the game scoreless, but the Braves’ offense similarly stranded two runners in their first time at the plate. Holmes struck out two in a 1-2-3 second, and Nick Allen drove home a run on an infield single in the second. Holmes allowed a small ball run to the Padres in the third, but the offense came through for Atlanta. In the bottom of the third, they went Baldwin single, Ozuna double-play, Matt Olson oppo homer, Austin Riley crushed double, Verdugo single, Ozzie swinging bunt RBI single to put two runs on the board, giving Atlanta a 3-1 lead. Baldwin just continues to get on base, while Olson is on an absolute heater right now and it was good to see Austin get around on one, even if it landed inside the fence.
Olson’s 12th homer comes in his 51st game of this season. He was hitting .232 with 14 homers and a .877 OPS through the first 51 games of his 54-homer season in 2023. He’s currently hitting .247 w/ a .841 OPS. pic.twitter.com/17MKAlgYOh
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 24, 2025
Holmes continued to cruise and Baldwin collected his third hit in plate appearances in the fifth, but the game stuck at 3-1 until the bottom of the sixth. Nick Allen drew a one out walk to get things going for Atlanta in the sixth, before Ronald Acuña hit another mammoth homer, giving Atlanta a four run cushion.
Another day, another @ronaldacunajr24 highlight ✌️#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/yOe7ovMF7V
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 24, 2025
Grant Holmes worked around a leadoff double to cap off his day with a scoreless seventh. Holmes came through huge for Atlanta, with a 7.0 inning 1 run outing, striking out 6 and allowing only 1 walk.
The Atlanta offense provided some more insurance in the bottom seventh, as Austin Riley got hit by a pitch and Verdugo, Albies, and Harris strung together consecutive singles to give Atlanta a commanding 7-1 lead. Enyel De Los Santos worked a scoreless eighth with a slick assist from Michael Harris.
Michael Harris II lays out to rob Jackson Merrill of a hit!
Andruw Jones approves pic.twitter.com/Urz82CfiT4
— MLB (@MLB) May 24, 2025
Drake Baldwin drew a leadoff walk in the home eighth, reaching for his fourth time on the day in an ultimately fruitless offensive inning. Scott Blewett got the ninth and managed some command issues to ultimately produce a scoreless frame, finishing off a great win.
Join us again for the rubber match tomorrow at 4:10 PM ET.