Padres at Braves
Julio Teheran started the final game the Atlanta Braves played at Turner Field last season, and Friday he draws the honor of starting the inaugural game at SunTrust Park as the Braves open their new home against the San Diego Padres. The Braves finished a season-opening eight-game road trip with a victory Wednesday at Miami, and now move into their suburban stadium to begin a seven-game homestand with their ace on the mound.
Atlanta’s offense has struggled in both of Teheran’s starts, but the 26-year-old right-hander has done his part by not allowing an earned run in 13 innings this season. While the Braves have lost six of their first eight games, San Diego is off to a 5-5 start after holding the Rockies to six runs in taking two of three at Colorado. Wil Myers, who hit for the cycle Monday, enters the weekend hitting .400 with nine extra-base hits (four doubles, two triples, three homers). The Padres scored just 10 runs in their first four games, but have scored 25 in winning four of their past six contests.
TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego, FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Jhoulys Chacin (1-1, 8.10 ERA) vs. Braves RH Julio Teheran (0-0, 0.00)
Chacin rebounded from a bad first start to beat San Francisco on Saturday, allowing three hits with five strikeouts in 6 2/3 shutout innings. He surrendered nine runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 3, giving up eight hits and hitting a batter. The 29-year-old, who went 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in five starts for the Braves last season before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels, is 1-2 in four lifetime starts against Atlanta with a 4.05 ERA.
Teheran started his season by throwing six scoreless innings against the New York Mets on April 3, striking out six, and followed up by allowing two unearned runs on six hits in seven innings Sunday at Pittsburgh. He picked off two runners in his last start and leads the majors with 24 since the start of 2013. Teheran is 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA in seven career starts versus the Padres after winning both outings against San Diego last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Padres C Austin Hedges snapped an 0-for-24 skid with an infield single Wednesday.
2. Atlanta won the season series last year four games to two.
3. San Diego 2B Yangervis Solarte - who has a pair of three-hit games already this season - is 6-for-12 lifetime against Teheran with a .917 slugging percentage.