Dominic Smith draws start against Padres

Yastrzemski did his damage off of Jake Irvin in the fifth inning, with his 413-foot (104.7-mph EV) two-run blast tying the score at three runs apiece. It has been a rough season overall at the plate for the 35-year-old outfielder, slashing just .226/.313/.363 to go along with seven long balls and 30 RBI in 281 plate appearances.

The Braves got all of their runs on homers, with Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin contributing solo shots. Smith’s homer came off Griffin Canning in the fourth. The Padres had Yuki Matsui up in the pen at the time, and it would have been interesting to see if Smith, who is 4-for-28 with one extra-base hit against southpaws this season, would have remained in the game had they made the switch. The homer was Smith’s seventh on the season. He’s likely looking at a reduced role or perhaps the loss of his roster spot when Ronald Acuña Jr. comes off the IL.

Kyle Farmer was released to open up a spot. Yastrzemski missed the minimum 10 days with elbow inflammation. He’ll likely take over as the right fielder against right-handers for now. Once Ronald Acuña Jr. returns, Dominic Smith, the typical DH against righties, could lose most of his playing time and or maybe his roster spot entirely.

Yastrzemski hits the shelf with two games left before the All-Star break. No word yet on the severity of the issue. The 35-year-old platoon outfielder has hit .230/.321/.365 with six homers, 28 RBI and one steal in 262 plate appearances over 85 games this season.

Smith strolled to the dish with the bases juiced and a run already in and lined a ball off of the ankle of Cardinals’ starter Dustin May and into right field, turning into a three-run double that gave the Braves a 5-3 advantage. That would be all of their offense in the ballgame though and Smith’s only hit in four at-bats. His bat has cooled a bit following his hot start to the season, though he’s still hitting a respectable .278/.320/.417 with six homers and 35 RBI in 207 plate appearances.

Santana didn’t seem to have much in the tank left last year, but he didn’t get a real shot with the Diamondbacks after playing in eight games at the beginning of the season and then getting released upon returning from an adductor strain. The Braves could go to him as a part-timer at some point if Dominic Smith continues to fade.

In a game without much offense, Yastrzemski’s seventh inning home run wound up being the difference for the Braves. He’s had a disappointing season so far with just four home runs, 19 RBI, and a .227 batting average while playing nearly every day. That playing time isn’t going anywhere though, especially after Ronald Acuña Jr. just recently went back on the injured list.

Smith came into this game without a hit in more than a week and was stuck in his first slump of the season. It seems like he ended that decisively with his two-run shot in this one that more or less ended Pirates’ starter Braxton Ashcraft’s outing and more or less put this game away. Still starting against all right-handed pitchers the Braves face, Smith has had a magnificent season to this point with six home runs, 28 RBI, a .309 batting average, and an .830 OPS through 52 games.

No surprise here with lefty Ranger Suárez, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season, toeing the rubber at Fenway Park. The 30-year-old, who has been an unexpected revelation for the first-place Braves this season, could wind up sitting out the entire series against his former club with young lefties Connelly Early and Payton Tolle set to take the ball for the final two games. Eli White takes a turn at DH on Tuesday night in his place.

Yastrzemski clobbered a 398-foot (102.4 mph EV) solo shot off of Sandy Alcantara in the second inning that increased the Braves’ early advantage to 3-0. He then singled and scored on an RBI knock by Ronald Acuna Jr. in the fifth inning. Yastrzemski also smacked an RBI double in the sixth that made it a 6-2 game. With his three-hit attack, the 35-year-old outfielder is now slashing .234/.305/.365 with three long balls and 14 RBI on the season.