Takeaways from Padres-Braves Game 1: Michael King silences Atlanta

The San Diego Padres cruised to a 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the wild-card series on Tuesday behind a dominant performance from starting pitcher Michael King.

San Diego is now one win away from advancing to the National League Division Series and taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Atlanta will hope to force a winner-takes-all Game 3. Here are three takeaways from the Padres' win:

Padres right-hander Michael King’s offseason prediction may hold true

The Padres were widely scrutinized for trading superstar outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees this past offseason as part of an effort to shed payroll. However, King — the centerpiece of San Diego's return for Soto — told the New York Post in January that he felt his new team got the better end of the deal.

“I continue to praise [Padres general manager] A.J. Preller and be confident in saying I feel like the Padres won the trade,’’ King said. “I feel like the talent we’ve gotten, I was shocked to see the Yankees part with that many people."

The 29-year-old was stellar in the regular season, posting a 2.95 ERA with 201 strikeouts in 173.2. Even though Soto has been outstanding for the Yankees, King more than proved his worth with a brilliant performance on Tuesday.

King tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and racking up 12 strikeouts, the second-most by a Padres pitcher in a postseason game, according to MLB Stats .

It's hard to say that a team that traded a talent like Soto away truly "won" the deal. Even so, if King can maintain his momentum throughout the postseason, provided San Diego advances past the wild-card round, the Padres could soon be considered the winner of the offseason blockbuster.

Braves feeling the effects of Monday’s doubleheader against Mets

Atlanta faced plenty of adversity to reach the postseason, losing key pieces Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider and Austin Riley to season-ending injuries at various points throughout the year. The Braves ran into another obstacle on Monday, having to take part in a doubleheader against the New York Mets to decide whether they would even make the playoffs.

After losing the first game of the doubleheader, Atlanta was forced to roll out its typical starting lineup, meaning its stars played 18 innings before hopping on a cross-country flight to San Diego. Not to take credit away from the Padres pitching staff, but it was clear that the Braves were exhausted, and the results reflect that.

In addition to being shutout, Atlanta struck out 15 times and collected seven hits, only one of which went for extra bases.

Considering the state of the roster, coupled with San Diego's impressive showing, a series deficit feels insurmountable for the Braves.

Outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is San Diego’s X factor

Although San Diego only had five hits against the Braves, it received its most significant one in the first inning. On the first pitch of his at-bat, Tatis hammered an AJ Smith-Shawver fastball 415 feet into the second deck in left field at Petco Park for a two-run homer.

The mammoth shot would go on to be Tatis' only hit in the contest, but he did get on base in the third inning, drawing a walk.

Tatis hasn't garnered the same level of hype that he did early in his career, though injuries and his 2022 PED suspension understandably have played a role in that. Nevertheless, the two-time All-Star is still one of the top players in baseball and has quickly solidified himself as a clutch postseason contributor.

Following Tuesday's win, Tatis has now hit .320 with three homers and seven RBI while posting a 1.212 OPS across seven career playoff games.

The Padres have arguably the most well-rounded roster among this year's postseason participants. As long as the pitching staff continues to mow down hitters and Tatis stays hot, it'll be difficult for any team to compete with San Diego.