For Julio Teheran, perhaps tonight was like getting back on the horse. For Edwin Jackson, it was another black mark in a streak of ineffectiveness. The Braves touched Jackson for a five-run third inning and never looked back, as Julio Teheran shut down the Padres for seven innings and the home team cruised to a win.
In his first two starts after coming off the Disabled List with a lat strain, Teheran had allowed nine runs in 11 innings of work (and a 4.69 FIP across those two outings). He was considerably more “on” tonight, allowing just six hits and no walks while striking out eight Padres in seven frames. He did allow a two-run homer in the fourth to Oswaldo Arcia, but it was a minor blemish on a night where he seemed mostly right and in command.
Things were quiet until the third inning, though both teams wasted scoring opportunities in the second. Arcia was stranded after a two-out double in the top of the inning, while the Braves neglected to capitalize on a two on, no out situation after Jace Peterson hit into a double play and Dansby Swanson flew out.
Edwin Jackson could not keep the floodgates from opening in the third. After falling behind in the count to Teheran, Jackson came in with a 2-1 fastball below the knees that Teheran somehow thwacked into right center for a double. (Were he not the pitcher, that kind of ball in play could have gone for a triple, as it wasn’t played well by the Padres’ outfielders.) Jackson then unraveled, allowing first-pitch singles to both Ender Inciarte and Adonis Garcia (1-0 Braves), and then another RBI single to Freddie Freeman on a 3-0 pitch (2-0 Braves). After getting a merciful flyout from Matt Kemp, Jackson walked Nick Markakis, gave up a sacrifice fly to Tyler Flowers (3-0 Braves), and then back-to-back singles to Peterson and Swanson (5-0) Braves before leaving the game.
Teheran, who started the inning, flew out to center against Carlos Villanueva to finally end the frame.
The Padres got a few runs back in the top of the fourth. Yangervis Solarte led off with a triple that eluded Markakis in right field. Teheran then did a great job of preventing the run from scoring by getting two consecutive shallow-ish fly outs (though why the Padres didn’t send Solarte against Markakis’ arm on the foulout by Alex Dickerson puzzles me), but caught too much of the plate with a letter-high fastball that Arcia put over the right-field fence to trim the lead to 5-2.
Dansby Swanson got those runs back in the fifth, capping a two-out rally with a double. Teheran cruised through the San Diego lineup, striking out two in his final inning of work and departing having thrown just 98 pitches.
The Braves wasted a chance to pad their lead in the eighth against lefty reliever Keith Hessler, who walked Freeman to load the bases. However, Matt Kemp hit into a 1-2-3 double play to keep the Atlanta run total at seven. (Insert quip about lineup protection here, as Hessler walked Freeman to load the bases with one out and lived to tell the tale.)
Jose Ramirez struck out the side in relief of Teheran (needing just 11 pitches to do so!) and gave way to Ian Krol for the ninth. Krol allowed the third San Diego run on a “triple” to Ryan “Jumbo” Schimpf and an RBI groundout. I say “triple” because it was really a deep fly ball that was badly misplayed by Matt Kemp and slipped through his glove/hands/arms, but that was all the Padres could manage as Krol struck out catcher Derek Norris to end the game.
Amazingly, this was Teheran’s first “W” at home this season, and only his fourth overall. Meanwhile, Edwin Jackson continues to be terrible for the Padres and in general, but Braves fans are fairly familiar with that given Jackson’s stint with the team last season.
Dansby Swanson led the offensive attack with three total bases and RBI; it was the first multi-RBI game of his career.