Wednesday’s Game Preview: Braves at Padres

SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres meet Wednesday at PETCO Park in the second game of their three-game series, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. PDT.

Atlanta (48-29) enters with the best record in the National League, but the Padres (40-37) have taken the early series lead, winning Monday’s opener 1-0. Wednesday’s matchup features Braves left-hander Martín Pérez (6-3, 3.28 ERA) against a Padres lineup that has been held to one run over the two meetings so far.

Pérez has been steady for Atlanta, but the Braves’ bullpen has been tested. Right-hander Grant Holmes is a key arm to watch after throwing 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball in Monday’s loss, scattering three hits with four strikeouts. In his last five outings, Holmes has a 5.14 ERA across 21 innings, but he has shown the ability to eat innings, including six scoreless frames against Toronto on June 3.

San Diego counters with right-hander Michael King, who dominated Atlanta on Monday, firing seven shutout innings while allowing six hits and striking out five. Over his past five starts, King has a 3.71 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 30 innings. He has been particularly effective at PETCO Park, where he owns a 2.45 ERA this season.

The Padres’ offense has been sparse in the series, with third baseman Manny Machado driving in the lone run Monday on a solo home run. San Diego’s lineup has scored two or fewer runs in four of its past six games.

The Interstat game simulator projects a 5-3 Padres victory. Atlanta opened as a -1.5 run-line favorite, while the over/under is set at 7.5 runs.

Following this series, the Braves travel to San Francisco for a three-game set starting Friday. The Padres return home to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game weekend series.