Takeaways: Power pitching and power hitting lead Braves to 8-1 win over San Diego

The Braves smoked the Padres at Petco Park Tuesday night and will aim for the sweep tomorrow afternoon. Here are some key takeaways.

In Stride

The strikeouts have been there for Spencer Strider so far this year, but he'd scuffled at times in each of his three previous starts (including one against these same Padres back in Atlanta). Nothing too dramatic, but you could sense that the young righty was looking to dominate in a way that he really hadn't yet this young season. And dominate he did.

Four starts for 𝗡𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝗡𝗶𝗻𝗲 in 2023:

🔥 9 Ks
🔥 9 Ks
🔥 9 Ks
🔥 9 Ks

Spencer Strider is ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/uFUS53emd2
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) April 19, 2023

He carried a no-hitter into the sixth and once again struck out nine men. And he did this while dealing with a questionable strike zone (a zone which seemed to please nobody). His movement was on point pretty much all night. Watch that video above and see the snap on his slider and the plane his fastball was moving on during those Ks. Anything straight can be hit, no matter how hard it's thrown, but Spencer wasn't throwing anything straight tonight. Everything had life, and his trademark velocity was still there. That is not a good sign for the rest of the league.

Big Sean

Sean Murphy is who we were told he was, and he's reminding us of that almost nightly now. It's early in the season, yes, but Travis d'Arnaud had gotten off to a hot start of his own before his concussion. Murphy needed to step up in d'Arnaud's absence, and he's more than done that.

This home run set an Atlanta Braves record for consecutive extra-base hits with 11. A single later in the game would snap that streak just a touch shy of the franchise record held by Boston Brave Wally Berger, but that hit got him on base ahead of a key home run from one of his teammates (more on that below). He's also continued to be a plus defender behind the plate and has handled the Atlanta pitching staff extremely well. The early returns on Murph 2.0 are quite good indeed.

Albies & Olson Insurance Agency

Early offense is great, but add-on runs can bury an opposing team. Atlanta's been elite at the former, but a little less consistent regarding the latter. (Like last night, when the only runs were scored in the top of the first inning.) So seeing Ozzie Albies blow the game open with a three-run jack in the eighth inning came as a huge relief to Braves fans and, I'm sure, the coaching staff. That homer felt extra huge when the Friars put together a rally in the bottom of the inning and eventually scored their lone run so far this series.

With the lead cut back to four, "Mash" Olson went for the jugular by launching a majestic dinger deep into the right-field seats. That both felt like the kind of thing dominant offenses do - just squash the last little bit of life out of an opponent in their own house - but it also gave Brian Snitker the luxury of sitting down closer-for-now A.J. Minter, who was warming in the bullpen just in case and would've been working on a third consecutive day. With the injuries to Raisel Iglesias and Collin McHugh already thinning out the back of the 'pen, it's always good to give your number-one guy out there a night off.

Mark It Eight, Dude

The Braves have now won eight in a row after a mildly humbling series loss to San Diego a week and a half ago. The Reds and Royals aren't the stiffest of opposition, but traveling cross-country and returning the favor to the Daddios in their own backyard should loudly reaffirm what we already know - this team is legit. And this is all coming with a fair few key cogs on the shelf and a couple guys just returning from injury. The upcoming schedule features a lot of Miami, but also heavy hitters like the Astros and Mets, so it's good to bank wins while you can and even better to be sizzling hot going into those games. Atlanta goes for the sweep tomorrow afternoon behind Uncle Charlie.

What's Next

Wednesday's game is a late afternoon affair for Braves fans, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 ET. The game broadcast, with Voice of the Braves Brandon Gaudin, is available inside Braves Country on Bally Sports South, and is available on MLB.TV outside of the broadcast area. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

More stories from the Padres series

WATCH: Matt Olson vaporizes ball deep into the California night

WATCH: Ozzie Albies blows game open with a late three-run tater in San Diego

WATCH: Spencer Strider dominates the Padres for six innings in San Diego

WATCH: Sean Murphy smokes a solo homer to extend early Braves lead

WATCH: Kevin Pillar gets the Braves on the board with a ground-rule double

Takeaways: The Atlanta Braves win the series opener over the San Diego Padres

WATCH: Austin Riley LAUNCHES the first home run of the game

The Atlanta Braves Bullpen Has Stepped Up in a Big Way

Atlanta Braves officially re-activate Max Fried from injured list

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