FAQ: Braves-Padres NL Wild Card Series Game 1

SAN DIEGO -- It’s been nearly a week since the Padres clinched. They’ve known they’d be hosting the National League Wild Card Series since Friday. They spent the weekend resting up, setting their rotation and staying fresh.

The Braves? Their path was not nearly as straightforward, to say the least.

Atlanta became the final team to secure its place in the postseason on Monday night, clinching a berth by winning Game 2 of a makeup doubleheader against the Mets in Atlanta. Even that victory came with uncertainty surrounding ace Chris Sale, who was scratched from his start due to back spasms.

Now, the Braves’ pitching plans have been thrown into flux, and they must travel across the country for a playoff game barely 24 hours after they’d clinched a spot.

But here’s the important part: They’re in.

“Playing a doubleheader definitely doesn’t help them, and it benefits us in a way,” said Padres third baseman Manny Machado. “But at the end of the day, it’s postseason baseball. Once that game starts, once those lights turn on, both teams are going to be competing.”

The Braves are likely going to be without Sale this series and they were taxed during the doubleheader before taking a late-night cross-country flight to San Diego. But first baseman Matt Olson embraces the underdog role.

“There's gonna be enough adrenaline to go around for everybody,” Olson said. “It's playoff baseball. This is why you do 162 [games]. It's the prize. You go out and play meaningful baseball and have a chance to win a World Series. We ain't worried about 18 [innings] today and a flight. We’re going to go play.”

Here’s what you need to know about Tuesday’s Game 1:

When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday at 8:38 ET/5:38 PT and will be broadcast on ESPN. The Sunday Night Baseball crew of Karl Ravech, David Cone, Eduardo Perez and Buster Olney will be calling the games in San Diego.

Wild Card Series games will be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App. ESPN Radio will also provide live national coverage of all 2024 MLB Postseason games.

All games are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV (authentication to a participating Pay TV provider is required). Live games are also available in select countries outside the U.S. For full details, click here.

Who are the starting pitchers?
Braves: AJ Smith-Shawver
Smith-Shawver, the club's No. 2-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline, will make his first career playoff start and second postseason appearance overall. Last year against the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLDS, the righty allowed three runs on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. This season, the 21-year-old made one start back in May, pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings against the Cubs.

Padres: Michael King
In a minor surprise, the Padres tabbed King for their Game 1 start, over both Dylan Cease and Joe Musgrove. But the surprise is only minor, because King has been one of the best pitchers in baseball during the second half, posting a 2.15 ERA since the All-Star break. Across 30 starts in his first season as a full-time starter, King posted a 2.95 ERA with 201 strikeouts. He has never made a start against the Braves.

What are the starting lineups?
Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr. has been sidelined since the end of May and Austin Riley suffered his own season-ending injury six weeks ago. This group has struggled to find consistent production. But Harris has been hot recently and Albies is starting to get comfortable with batting from the right side against right-handed pitchers. The switch-hitting second baseman still feels discomfort in his previously fractured left wrist when swinging from the left side.

1. Michael Harris II, CF
2. Ozzie Albies, 2B
3. Marcell Ozuna, DH
4. Matt Olson, 1B
5. Jorge Soler, RF
6. Ramón Laureano, LF
7. Travis d'Arnaud, C
8. Gio Urshela, 3B
9. Orlando Arcia, SS

Padres: The Padres rarely altered their lineup down the stretch, and that didn't change with the Braves starting Smith-Shawver. David Peralta is set to come off the bench as a potential lefty pinch-hitting option for Higashioka.

1. Luis Arraez, DH
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
3. Jurickson Profar, LF
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Jackson Merrill, CF
6. Xander Bogaerts, SS
7. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
8. Donovan Solano, 1B
9. Kyle Higashioka, C

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Braves: Closer Raisel Iglesias and top setup man Joe Jiménez both appeared in both ends of Monday’s doubleheader. They might both be unavailable for Game 1. If so, former Padre Pierce Johnson could handle the closing duties. The Padres have had some trouble against left-handed pitchers, so southpaw relievers Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer could be used in some high-leverage spots with the Atlanta bullpen a little thin on Tuesday.

Padres: The Padres have three bona fide back-end relievers in Jason Adam, Tanner Scott and Robert Suarez. They prefer to use them in that order for the seventh, eighth and ninth -- with the caveat that they’re willing to adjust based on matchups. Suarez struggled in September, blowing three saves after he’d blown only three prior saves all year. For the middle innings, the Padres still have some high-leverage weapons. Bryan Hoeing, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada have been excellent this season. Perhaps most importantly, unlike in the Atlanta bullpen, all of the Padres’ main arms are fresh and rested.

Any injuries of note?
Braves: The Braves are hoping Sale might be able to pitch if they advance to the next round. But the 35-year-old hurler’s back has sporadically bothered him going to back to his most-recent start on Sept. 19 in Cincinnati.

Acuña, Riley and Spencer Strider all drew more attention when they suffered their season-ending injuries. But the absence of A.J. Minter, who underwent left hip surgery in August, will also be significant over the next few days.

Padres: On Saturday, the Padres officially shut down Ha-Seong Kim, who will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. Since Kim’s mid-August injury, Bogaerts has moved back to shortstop, with Cronenworth sliding to second. Kim is the only member of a potential postseason roster on the IL.

Who is hot and who is not?
Braves : Albies entered Monday’s doubleheader 4-for-31 with a homer since ending a two-month stint on the injured list. He went 3-for-7 with a double and a homer during the twin bill.

Olson started this season slow, but his .966 OPS since July 31 ranks fifth among all MLB players.

Padres: Manny Machado finished the season on a tear, setting the Padres’ franchise home-run record while posting an .876 OPS after the All-Star break. However, NL batting champ Luis Arraez finished the season in a bit of a slump, going 8-for-40 (.200) over the final two weeks.

Anything else fans might want to know?
• The Padres won the season series between these two teams, 4-3, but the Braves took two of three when they met at Petco Park in the final series before the All-Star break.

Of course, no team in baseball has turned in a better second half than the Padres. Their 43-20 record since the break is the best mark in the Majors.

• The Braves and Padres have met once in the postseason -- the 1998 NL Championship Series, which San Diego won in six games, after storming out to a 3-0 series lead.

• Arraez and Ozuna battled down to the wire for the NL batting title (alongside Shohei Ohtani). Arraez eventually won that race with a .314 mark. In 25 career games against the Braves, Arraez has a .375 average. Meanwhile, in 28 career games at Petco Park, Ozuna has an .840 OPS with seven home runs.