Braves-Padres NL Wild Card Series Game 2 (8:30 ET, ESPN2)

Braves-Padres NL Wild Card Series Game 2 (8:30 ET, ESPN2)

6:17 AM UTC

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have a chance to set up another matchup against the rival Dodgers in the National League Division Series. The Braves are hoping to prove resilient one more time.

Petco Park should be rocking yet again when the Braves and Padres play Game 2 of their Wild Card Series on Wednesday night. San Diego has a chance to clinch this best-of-three series after winning Game 1 on Tuesday.

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 entering play Wednesday. All six teams that have won Game 1 at home have completed a sweep in Game 2.

“Fortunately, we have guys who have been in this situation before,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “We’ll be ready to go.”

The winner of this series will head to Los Angeles to begin the NLDS against the Dodgers on Saturday. The Padres lost to the Dodgers in the 2020 NLDS but then eliminated them from the same round in 2022. They’re one win from a rematch.

When is the game and how can I watch it?

Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:38 p.m. ET/5:38 PT and will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Sunday Night Baseball crew of Karl Ravech, David Cone and Eduardo Perez will be in the booth.

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: Max Fried

Fried, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, could be making his final start for the Braves. Coincidentally, he’ll be facing the Padres, who took him with the seventh overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. He was sent to Atlanta in the trade that brought Justin Upton to Atlanta before the 2015 season. The left-hander has posted a 2.39 ERA over his past eight starts. He finished an out away from his fifth career shutout on Friday against the Mets. One of those shutouts was recorded at Petco Park on Sept. 24, 2021.

Padres: Joe Musgrove

Musgrove was a force for the Padres during their 2022 postseason run, and he has been excellent down the stretch this season. Since returning from an elbow injury in early August, Musgrove has posted a 2.15 ERA with 57 strikeouts to just eight walks. He did not face Atlanta this season.

What are the projected starting lineups?

Braves: Michael King added to this injury-depleted group’s frustrations as he notched 12 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings in Tuesday night’s 4-0 Padres win. Michael Harris II has been hot in the leadoff spot, but Ozzie Albies has had just one productive game since ending a two-month stint on the injured list on Sept. 20.

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Padres: Since Fernando Tatis Jr.'s return from a leg injury, the Padres have rarely altered their lineup. The only change, with the lefty Fried on the mound, could come in the bottom third of the order, with Jake Cronenworth and Solano flip-flopping in the 7-8 spots. Cronenworth (.531 OPS) struggled against lefties this season.

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How will the bullpens line up after the starter?

Braves: Atlanta is in much better shape than it was on Tuesday, when they were still dealing with the effects of Monday’s doubleheader against the Mets. Closer Raisel Iglesias and top setup man Joe Jimenez will both be available after pitching in both ends of Monday’s twin bill. In fact, the Braves will have each of their high-leverage relievers available thanks to the two-plus inning appearances Aaron Bummer, Jesse Chavez and Luke Jackson made on Tuesday.

Padres: In Game 1, the Padres used two of their three back-end relievers in Jason Adam and closer Robert Suarez. Both will be available for Game 2, as will lefty Tanner Scott. For the middle innings, the Padres still have some high-leverage weapons. Bryan Hoeing, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada have been excellent this season. Veteran starter Yu Darvish is available in relief, but he’d be called upon almost certainly only in the event of an emergency.

Any injuries of note?

Braves: The Braves are hoping Chris 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.

Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin 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: Harris has hit .405 and produced a .444 on-base percentage over his past 10 games.

Albies homered and doubled during Monday’s doubleheader against the Mets. But he is just 8-for-42 since returning from the injured list and deciding to exclusively bat right-handed. His previously fractured left wrist still bothers him when he swings from the left side.

Padres: In his first postseason game in front of fans, Tatis homered and walked -- after he’d posted an .844 OPS over the season’s final two weeks. Meanwhile, Profar finished the season in a 3-for-20 rut, then went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Game 1.