Cease strikes out 11, allows 1 hit as Padres beat Braves
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Dylan Cease allowed one hit and struck out 11 in six dominant innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
David Peralta had three hits and two RBIs, All-Star Luis Arraez had three hits and drove in a run, and Manny Machado hit his 13th homer among his three hits for the Padres.
The Padres snapped a five-game losing streak. They had only scored five runs in their previous four games.
Cease (8-8) threw 69 of his 106 pitches for strikes, mixing his blazing four-seam fastball with his slider to keep Braves hitters off-balance. He worked his way out of a jam in the fourth inning by striking out Eddie Rosario with runners at second and third base with two outs to put down the Braves’ only prime scoring threat against him.
Cease got a standing ovation from an announced crowd of 43,097 in the Padres' 31st sellout of the season. He waved his arms enthusiastically while walking off the field toward the Padres dugout after striking out the side in the sixth inning.
Cease’s 149 strikeouts for the first half of the season set a Padres record, bettering Andy Benes’ 138 in 1994.
Atlanta starter and NL All-Star Reynaldo López (7-3) lasted six innings. He gave up three runs and a season-high 11 hits. He hadn't given up more than seven in a start this season.
All-Star Marcell Ozuna, who had two homers against San Diego on Friday night to give him an NL-high 77 RBIs, had two singles and a walk in four plate appearances.
San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after David Peralta doubled home Donovan Solano from second base.
The Padres built a 3-0 lead after Arraez doubled in Tyler Wade from second base in the fifth inning and Peralta singled in Machado from third base in the sixth inning.
UP NEXT
Braves: LHP Chris Sale (12-3, 2.74) will close out the series finale on Sunday afternoon and Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (2-4, 4.66).