Braves lose Game 1 of 2024 NL Wild Card Series to Padres

SAN DIEGO — Matt Olson smirked when asked about the Braves being underdogs during their National League Wild Card Series against the Padres.

“I think when people don’t think you can do something, that drives you,” Olson said. “We don’t listen, we don’t go seek out the chatter. Sometimes, you hear some stuff. That can absolutely drive you.”

If that is true, the Braves should be extremely motivated after becoming even greater longshots with a 4-0 loss to the Padres in Game 1 at Petco Park on Tuesday. Their hope to bring AJ Smith-Shawver up to the Majors to create some postseason magic evaporated with Fernando Tatis Jr.’s first-inning homer. But as long as their offense shows some signs of life, the underdogs could still make this best-of-three series interesting.

“We know what’s at stake tomorrow,” Braves center fielder Michael Harris II said. “We’ve got to come out, be ourselves and try not to do too much. Even today, it didn’t feel as one-sided as it looked.”

In the brief history of the best-of-three Wild Card Series, teams winning Game 1 have gone on to advance 14 out of 16 times. All six teams that have won Game 1 at home have completed a sweep in Game 2.

That’s not good news for a Braves team that has added Chris Sale to their list of unavailables that already included Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider and Austin Riley. Still, they will gladly give the ball to Max Fried, who will take the mound knowing he could be making the final start of a Braves career, highlighted by his six scoreless innings in the clinching Game 6 of the 2021 World Series.

“We feel very confident,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “Max has been in these games before with our backs against the wall. There’s no one else we would rather want on the mound.”

But Fried or even a healthy Sale couldn’t have prevented the Braves from looking helpless against Michael King, who notched 12 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings in his first career postseason start.

“We didn’t score because he did a great job,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He did a great job. We had some opportunities and he made pitches when he had to. A lot of it had to do with him instead of us.”

King was one of the NL’s top starters this year. Smith-Shawver posted a 4.86 ERA over 20 starts at the Triple-A level and made just one big league start during the regular season. He was pressed into duty because Sale is dealing with a back issue and none of Atlanta’s other current rotation members would be on regular rest until Wednesday.

But not all was lost, despite the fact that Smith-Shawver surrendered Tatis’ two-run homer on his seventh pitch and allowed three runs despite facing just nine batters. Aaron Bummer entered and saved the day, or possibly the next couple of days.

The Braves bullpen was taxed during Monday’s doubleheader against the Mets. Bummer helped reset things with the 2 2/3 scoreless innings he provided after Smith-Shawver exited. Jesse Chavez then delivered two more scoreless frames. Luke Jackson ate the final two.

So, along with having a determined Fried, the Braves will also have each of their high-leverage relievers available on Wednesday. Had Atlanta held a late lead in this series opener, the team likely wouldn’t have been able to turn to closer Raisel Iglesias or top setup man Joe Jiménez, both of whom pitched during both games of Monday’s doubleheader against the Mets.

“We’ve got to go get it tomorrow,” Bummer said. “We’re in a better spot tomorrow than we were today.”

The Braves overcame the odds throughout this season. They reached the postseason despite having six of the 10 members of their Opening Day lineup (starting pitcher included) miss at least two months this season. They entered the regular season’s final week two games out of a playoff spot.

Now, they are just hoping to prove their doubters wrong again. It’s all part of being an underdog.

“That’s why we play these games,” Snitker said. “Anything can happen once we get going.”