SAN DIEGO — The Associated Press reports, Adam Duvall hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning and Ozzie Albies homered for the second straight game for the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves, who rebounded from a rough series opener to beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Friday night.
Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth to earn his first save with the Braves. He signed as a free agent after piling up 350 saves in 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Braves starter Kyle Wright was impressive for five innings, striking out nine and walking none while allowing two runs and five hits. Darren O'Day (1-0) got the win.
The Braves took advantage of a Padres bullpen meltdown to score three runs in the eighth. Pierce Johnson (0-1) faced six batters and allowed four hits, including three straight with two outs. The big blow was Duvall's two-run double that gave the Braves a 4-2 lead. After Guillermo Heredia reached on an infield single, Dinelson Lamet came on and had two wild pitches, including one that scored Duvall.
Albies homered with two outs in the third off rookie MacKenzie Gore, who was making his big league debut. It was his third. Albies also homered in the ninth inning of Thursday night's series opener after the Padres had taken a 12-0 lead.
Gore had a solid performance in his long-awaited big league debut, allowing two runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings, with three strikeouts and two walks. He also made two nice defensive plays on comebackers.
Gore was the third pick overall in the 2017 draft and was one of baseball’s highest-rated prospects entering 2021 before being slowed by command problems and a blister issue. He had a good spring and was brought up to take the rotation spot of left-hander Blake Snell, who went on the injured list with a left adductor strain.
Gore quickly got his first strikeout when he fanned Albies on a 96 mph fastball opening the game. He fell behind 2-0 on Albies' homer and Marcell Ozuna's RBI single in the fourth.
After the Padres tied it at 2 in the fifth, Gore struck out Albies opening the sixth and walked Matt Olson before getting the hook from manager Bob Melvin. Gore got a nice ovation as he walked to the dugout and Luis Garcia came on to replace him.
Manny Machado, who tied his career high with five hits Thursday night, had an RBI double and Kim Ha-seong an RBI single in the fifth.
On Thursday, the Padres opened the 2022 season at home in resounding fashion. The team jumped all over the Atlanta Braves ultimately winning 12-1. The two teams will play again on Friday evening, but there will be a few special things about the game.
The first is that every player and coach on the field will wear number 42 in honor of the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier. The number 42 on every jersey will be in Dodger blue no matter what color the team wears. Major League Baseball said, “It’s a small but meaningful tip of the cap to the man and the team that changed everything.”
The tradition of wearing number 42 on April 15 began in 2009.
Friday will mark the day many Padres fans have been waiting for since the 2017 MLB Entry Draft. Pitching phenom MacKenzie Gore will make his major league debut for the San Diego Padres. Gore is taking the rotation spot of Blake Snell after Snell was put on the injured list earlier this week.
MacKenzie Gore is coming off a very successful spring training as well as a successful start for the Padres AAA-affiliate, the El Paso Chihuahuas, where he threw five scoreless innings.
Manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com, “"We saw it in the first sim game he threw, and saw it some early in spring," Melvin said. "He came in ready to pitch. His mechanics were sound. He was throwing strikes with all his pitches."
According to MLB.com “Gore was MLB Pipeline's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2019, when he posted a 1.74 ERA and a .130 batting average against in 20 starts split between High-A and Double-A. But he regressed during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and didn't earn the breakthrough that many had anticipated. In '21, Gore dealt with blister and mechanical issues, his walk rate skyrocketed and he made only 12 starts.”
Gore said, "The mechanics are better, which is going to bring more confidence," Gore said. "I just feel comfortable on the mound."
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