Bryce Elder gave the Atlanta Braves six steady innings, and solo home runs from Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies supplied just enough offense in a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Monday night, the opener of a four-game series at Truist Park.
Elder allowed two runs on five hits over six innings, walking one and striking out four. Both San Diego runs came on solo homers, from Manny Machado and Ty France. Otherwise he kept the Padres off balance, and the Atlanta bullpen finished the job — Danny Young bridged the middle innings and Victor Mederos worked the final 2 1/3 without allowing an earned run.
Harris II tied the game with a solo shot in the fifth, and Albies put Atlanta ahead with a drive in the sixth. It was not a night of fireworks; the Braves tacked on enough around the two homers to make a slim lead stand in a tidy 3-2 result.
The win moved the Braves to 58-41 and pushed their NL East lead back to three games over the Philadelphia Phillies. It was Atlanta’s second straight victory, the kind of low-margin game a first-place club is expected to close out in July.
For fantasy managers, Harris II’s power is trending back up after a quiet stretch, making him a confident start again in all formats; Albies remains a steady middle-infield option. Elder is a matchup-based streamer, and he is more trustworthy at home in front of Atlanta’s defense than on the road.
