SAN DIEGO (AP) — Spencer Strider and three relievers combined on a four-hitter and Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies and Sean Murphy each hit an impressive homer for the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves, who beat the struggling San Diego Padres 8-1 Tuesday night for their eighth straight win.
It’s the longest active winning streak in baseball and the second-longest overall after Tampa Bay’s 13 straight wins to open the season.
The Padres have lost six of seven. They avoided their third straight shutout when Juan Soto’s fielder’s choice in the eighth brought in Trent Grisham, who was aboard on a one-out double. That snapped a streak of 25 scoreless innings for San Diego, 12 shy of the franchise record set in 1971.
Strider (2-0) held the Padres hitless until Soto singled on his 90th pitch, with one out in the sixth, on a grounder that was deflected by second baseman Albies. Until then, Strider had allowed only three walks and a hit batter.
Strider was finished after six innings and 98 pitches. His eighth straight game of at least nine strikeouts is the longest active streak in the majors and it tied Hall of Famer John Smoltz’s franchise record.