In the first inning, Pasquantino homered off Braves starter Erick Fedde. He hit a 91.2 mph cutter into the right field seats as the Royals got on the board early. It was his 18th home run and moved him one shy of his career high mark set in 2024.

If the struggling Atlanta Braves decide to trade pending free agent Marcell Ozuna before the deadline, ESPN's Buster Olney thinks the San Diego Padres would be a good fit.

Whether the Braves could even acquire Nett is another question — the Padres' farm system is notoriously shallow, and Nett is their No. 3 prospect. Even with how well Ozuna would fit into their lineup, it might be tough for them to part ways with one of their promising young players.

Kansas City has gone 26-28 at home and 52-55 overall. Royals pitchers have a collective 3.55 ERA, which ranks second in the majors. Atlanta has gone 19-34 on the road and 45-60 overall. The Braves have a 13-25 record in games decided by one run. The teams meet Tuesday for the second time this season.

Monday, Erick Fedde was acquired by the Braves in a trade with the Cardinals in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. The former Cardinal has had something of a difficult season with a 3-10 record and 5.22 ERA, though he’s certainly looking to change things around with his new club.

Sometimes you try to take shortcuts and you get burned. That is precisely what the Atlanta Braves did this past offseason. They thought they could sneak a fast