Yu Darvish extends scoreless innings streak to 25 in Padres’ 9-1 rout of Braves | National sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Yu Darvish dominated a flagging Braves offense and extended his career-high scoreless innings streak to 25 while earning his 200th professional victory as the San Diego Padres beat Atlanta 9 -1 Sunday evening.

Darvish (4-1) allowed just two hits, struck out nine and walked one on 99 pitches over seven innings, and lowered his ERA to 2.08.

“Yu has been elite the last four outings,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “It was just magnificent.”

Darvish became the third pitcher of Japanese descent to reach 200 career wins between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball, joining Hiroki Huroda (203) and Hideo Nomo (201). Darvish, who has won his last four starts, has 107 major league wins and 93 in NPB.

“Those other two pitchers, we obviously know how good they are,” Darvish said through a translator. “Just being a little closer to them, I feel honored and it gives me confidence moving forward.”

Jake Cronenworth, Luis Campusano and Ha-Seong Kim homered for the Padres, who entered without an extra base hit in their previous three games. Jurickson Profar was 3 for 4 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI.

Luis Arraez went 2 for 4 with a walk, a run and a stolen base to extend his walking streak to 23 games, the longest active streak in the majors.

Atlanta starter Bryce Elder (1-2) struggled early and allowed six earned runs in three innings. He allowed nine hits, walked three and struck out three.

Braves reserve shortstop Luke Williams pitched a perfect ninth.

Meanwhile, the Padres pitchers dominated the Braves over the first two games of the four-game series, limiting Atlanta to two runs and 11 hits while recording 29 strikeouts.

“(Darvish) was locating every pitch and we couldn’t get it tonight,” said Braves DH Marcell Ozuna, who was 1 for 4 and extended his hitting streak to 11 games. “He was good.”

The Padres entered the series having been swept by the last-place Rockies.

“It’s just baseball,” Cronenworth said. “It’s a very good team there. They have had 100 wins in the last 100 years. We came in after a day off, reset and played some good baseball.

San Diego took a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Cronenworth hit a two-run homer into the Chop House restaurant in right field with two outs. Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jackson Merrill all followed with singles to drive in the third inning.

The Padres added four runs in the fourth, aided by a Ronald Acuña Jr. dropped ball to right field. Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a two-run double, Profar hit a run-scoring double and Bogaerts hit a sacrifice fly on what would have been the third out had Acuña not dropped Machado’s sinking fly on the previous at-bat.

FOLLOWING

The Braves and Padres will play a doubleheader Monday to finish the four-game series due to Saturday’s rain. In the opener, Braves RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-1, 1.34) will face Padres RHP Dylan Cease (5-3, 2.45). In the nightcap, it will be LHP Chris Sale (6-1, 2.54) for Atlanta against San Diego’s Randy Vasquez (0-2, 6.32).

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Kim to Ha-Seong.

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