Michael Wacha was dominant in his 6 innings, allowing only 2 hits and a walk while striking out 10, and the Padres got 3 runs early off Charlie Morton to take a 2 – 1 series lead.

Juan Soto hit a solo homer in the top of the 3rd, and the Pads tacked on 2 more runs in the 4th. With temperatures in the 40s, Morton needed 104 pitches to get through 5 innings, giving up 6 hits and walking 3; he also struck out 6. It could have been a lot worse without a 1 out, bases loaded double play in the 1st, a diving stop by Austin Riley with 2 out and 2 on in the 5th, and some adventurous Padre baserunning in the 4th.

Kim passing Odor at the plate sounds more like a Thanksgiving faux pas than something that happened in a baseball game, but here we are.

The Braves got a break in the aforementioned 4th when Rougned Odor missed home plate while colliding with Travis d’Arnaud who was trying to field a throw from Matt Olson. Odor went back to touch the plate, but Ha-Seong Kim crossed the plate first and was ruled out on appeal for passing the runner. TOOTBLAN indeed.

Dylan Lee threw 2 perfect innings in relief of Morton. Danny Young added a perfect 8th, but was charged with the 4th run in the 9th on the first of 2 Kirby Yates wild pitches. It’s early, but it seems so far as if Yates is having trouble with the throwing baseballs aspect of the game.

The Braves got the first 2 runners on in the 9th against Josh Hader, but Hader struck out the potential tying run 3 times, getting Kevin Pillar, Marcell Ozuna, and Orlando Arcia.

Olson had 3 of the Braves 5 hits and the RBI. d’Arnaud took a shot to the head on the Odor collision, and Sean Murphy came on in the 6th inning. From the post game news conference, Travis appears to be headed for the 7 day concussion IL.

The series concludes Sunday at 7:00 Eastern on ESPN; Dylan Dodd and Seth Lugo scheduled.