Ronald Acuna Jr. hit two home runs, and rookie Mike Soroka allowed two hits over eight innings as the visiting Atlanta Braves defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Monday.
Acuna was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. He led off the game by hitting the first pitch for a home run and added a solo shot in the seventh inning, giving him 11 for the season. It was the 10th time in his career that Acuna has opened a game with a homer. The Braves are now 8-2 since Acuna was moved back into the leadoff spot. Soroka (5-1) allowed one run – a solo homer from Brandon Crawford in the sixth. Crawford had both San Francisco hits, the other a single in the eighth inning. Soroka struck out seven, one off his career high, and did not allow a walk. He lowered his ERA to 1.01.
The right-hander retired the first 15 batters faced before Crawford broke up the perfect game and shutout. Soroka is the first Braves starter since the live-ball era began in 1920 to open the season by allowing one earned run or none in each of his first seven starts.
Left-hander Sean Newcomb worked a perfect ninth inning to earn his first career save. He struck out Steven Duggar to end the game.
San Francisco southpaw Andrew Suarez (0-1) pitched well in his season debut. Suarez, recalled Monday from Triple-A Sacramento, threw six innings and gave up three runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out five. One of the hits against Suarez was a two-run homer by rookie left fielder Austin Riley in the sixth inning. After Nick Markakis worked a two-out walk, Riley hit his third homer since being called up last Wednesday.
Two streaks ended. San Francisco’s Joe Panik went 0-for-4 and saw his consecutive on-base streak end at 17 games. Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman went 1-for-3 with a walk, but he saw his streak of consecutive games with a home run end at four.
Sanchez, Yankees sink Orioles in ninth
Gary Sanchez capped a four-run top of the ninth inning with a three-run homer as the visiting New York Yankees rallied for a 10-7 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night. The Orioles took an early 6-1 lead, helped by home runs from Hanser Alberto (4-for-5) and Renato Nunez, but three homers sparked the New York comeback. Gleyber Torres homered twice for the Yankees and now has 10 this season, eight of which have come against Baltimore.
Torres’ second long ball was a solo shot in the eighth off Mychal Givens (0-1) that cut the Baltimore lead to 7-6. New York tied it in the ninth on an Aaron Hicks sacrifice fly before Sanchez (2-for-5, four RBIs) crushed a three-run homer into the left field seats with two outs off Givens, who gave up five runs in 1 1/3 innings.
Former Orioles closer Zack Britton (2-0) earned the win, and Aroldis Chapman closed it in the ninth for his 12th save.
Andrew Cashner gave the Orioles a solid starting effort, allowing three runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked two. New York starter J.A. Happ was touched up for six runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings, but he escaped with a no-decision thanks to the team’s late rally.
The Orioles took a 2-0 lead in the first. Trey Mancini doubled in Alberto, who had led off the inning with a double. Pedro Severino’s single brought in the second run.
Torres cut New York’s deficit to 2-1 with a solo homer in the second.
Atlanta Braves left fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. hits a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports
