August 12, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler (2) celebrates with teammates after the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports The Atlanta Braves hope to continue their happy collective return Wednesday night when they take on the transplants for the third consecutive time against the host San Francisco Giants.
Former Giants Jorge Soler (RBI double) and Pierce Johnson (one unearned inning), former Oakland Athletics Ramon Laureano (solo homer on two hits) and Jay Ci Chavez (one scoreless inning, two strikeouts) all contributed in Atlanta’s 4-3 victory on Tuesday in front of at least some of the Bay Area’s older fans.
The night before, former Athletics players Sean Murphy and Matt Olson and former Giant Adam Duvall were in the starting lineup in the Warriors’ 1-0 victory.
Braves reliever Luke Jackson is the only player among the eight former Bay Area staff who has yet to play in the series.
Atlanta has won the first two of four games to move into a 3 1/2-game lead over San Francisco for the National League’s final wild-card spot.
The Giants, on the other hand, have lost three straight games — all by one run — to drop their winning percentage to .500 on the season.
“It’s frustrating,” San Francisco manager Bob Melvin assured. “We’ve lost three games in a row by one point, and at home we’ve been really good at winning close games.”
Duvall may not watch the rest of the series. The 35-year-old, who went 0-for-4 in the series opener and his season average dropped to .178, is considered a potential roster casualty, with the Braves expected to activate outfielder Michael Michaels from the injured list in time. Michael Harris II plays Wednesday.
Of course, Soler won’t lose his job. The veteran, who was traded to Atlanta from San Francisco before last month’s trade deadline, has hit .279 with a home run in 12 games since joining the Braves.
He even got regular playing time in the outfield after being used exclusively as a designated hitter and pinch hitter by the Giants.
“It’s not easy,” Soler said of playing on the court. “I’m running around outside every day and I’m definitely feeling the pain.”
Travis d’Arnaud, a Southern California native, has been the Braves’ main difference-maker in this series. He capped the two one-run wins with a sacrifice fly on Monday and a single that drove in extra innings on Tuesday.
The catcher will likely be in the lineup again on Wednesday against Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (2-1, 3.98 ERA), who hit a home run in their last meeting in 2022 beat.
Ray made seven career starts against the Braves, going 1-3 with a 4.85 ERA. He’s been strong over the last two games, allowing four runs in 11 innings and striking out 16. The Giants have won three of four starts this season.
Looking to win the season series — the Braves lead 3-2 in seven games — Atlanta is expected to start right-hander Grant Holmes (0-0, 3.79) in Wednesday’s game.
Holmes, a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014, pitched 2 2/3 innings of shutout relief in a 4-2 home loss to the Giants on July 4. One hit, four strikeouts. This was his only head-to-head meeting with San Francisco.
After coming off the bench in 10 straight games, Holmes started his final three games. He pitched 14 2/3 innings during that span, striking out 20.
–Scene-level media
