The San Diego Padres started the second half of their season with high hopes. The Padres have been attached to Luis Robert Jr. ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline. However, Fernando Tatis Jr. proved against Josh Bell and the Washington Nationals that he could be all they need in the outfield. He mimicked a play made by Ronald Acuña Jr. less than an hour earlier.

Brady House lifted a ball towards Tatis Jr. in right field. The All-Star outfielder made the catch and fired a missile to third base after Josh Bell tagged up at second. The ball beat the Nationals' designated hitter to third, where Manny Machado tagged him out in the seventh inning.

Acuña Jr. made a similar play against the New York Yankees and Jorbit Vivas earlier on Friday night. He and Tatis Jr. have been tied closely to one another throughout their careers. Now, fans have another play they can use to compare the two superstars. If they really want to split hairs, Acuña Jr.'s throw was a bit smoother than Tatis Jr.'s.

Regardless of which play fans like more, one thing is clear; the second half of the MLB season is officially underway. Both Tatis Jr. and Acuña Jr. entered Friday's game wanting to get off to a good start after the All-Star break. The Braves have talked about getting back into the National League playoff race. For the Padres, they have about two months to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Tatis Jr. and San Diego trail Los Angeles by handful of games. Despite a historic start to their season, the Padres were not able to maintain their success. A two-run home run from CJ Abrams helped the Nationals tie Friday's game late, putting more pressure on Tatis Jr. to lead his team to a win.

Regardless of the result of the game, Tatis Jr. gave MLB its second candidate of the night for the best throw of the season.

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