After getting off to a red hot 5-1 start on the road, including a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Atlanta Braves finally return to the friendly confines of Truist Park tonight for their home opener as they begin a four game series with the San Diego Padres.
The Braves are clicking on all cylinders coming into their matchup with the Padres tonight , and it’s a good thing because voice of the Atlanta Braves, Brandon Gaudin, joined The Morning Shift earlier today and previewed the Braves’ series with the Padres, and Gaudin believes the Padres top three hitters in Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogarts are “similar” to the Braves top three hitters.
Brandon brings up the fact that Fernando Tatis is still out for the Padres, but even with Tatis out this Padres lineup is still dangerous saying “They still have Juan Soto, they have Machado, they have Bogarts, that three is similar to the Braves top three as far as power and what they can do and what they can bring to a lineup.”
However, Gaudin also believes the Braves lineup is deeper and that will be one of Atlanta’s advantages in this series saying “I think where the Braves have the edge in the lineup is the Braves are pretty balanced one through nine, there really is not a weak spot in there where you can say oh well now we can get a break with this guy or that guy where as the Padres, it’s a very good lineup top to bottom, but I think the Braves is probably better one through nine.”
The voice of the Braves believes this early matchup with the Padres will be “a great test”, and he thinks this matchup being the home opening series makes the home opener feel even bigger saying “Openers are always going to be great no matter who you're playing, but when you bring in some superstars like the Padres have to open it up it just kind of adds a little extra excitement, and it’ll make tonight even more fun.”
It will be a star studded matchup indeed as Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and the Atlanta Braves battle Blake Snell, Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogarts tonight at Truist Park, and it all gets started tonight at 7:20 p.m. E.T. at Truist Park.
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