Soto’s single lifts Nationals over Braves in delayed opener
WASHINGTON » Juan Soto drove in the winning run with a single on a 3-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday, lifting the coronavirus-depleted Washington Nationals to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves after waiting five days to start their season.
Lefty reliever Will Smith (0-1) entered for the ninth and promptly gave up a single to new leadoff hitter Victor Robles, and then hit Trea Turner with a pitch. That brought up Soto, the 2020 NL batting champion, and he delivered a line drive to center field.
Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson homered against Washington ace Max Scherzer. Acuña drove Scherzer’s first pitch of the game deep to left-center, and led off the third with his second homer.
Turner hit a two-run shot for the Nationals. Daniel Hudson (1-0) got the win.
Because of a COVID-19 outbreak — four players tested positive; seven were forced into quarantine after potentially being exposed — Washington’s first four scheduled games were scrapped.
RANGERS 7, BLUE JAYS 4 » Nate Lowe homered twice and padded his franchise record for RBIs to start the season with four more, leading Texas over Toronto.
Lowe’s third homer of
the season was a two-run drive to center in the third. His 14 RBIs through five games are the most in franchise history and the most in the majors since Chris Davis had 17 for Baltimore in the first five games of 2013.
ASTROS 4, ANGELS 2 » Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the ninth inning, lifting Houston to the victory.
Kyle Tucker and Aledmys Díaz hit back-to-back homers in the second inning for the Astros, who went an impressive 5-1 on their six-game road trip to start the season amid the
incessant booing and jeering they’ll hear indefinitely as fans react to their signstealing scandal in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. BREWERS5,CUBS0» Freddy Peralta pitched five sharp innings, Travis Shaw hit a three-run homer and Milwaukee beat the Chicago Cubs to stop a three-game slide.
Peralta (1-0) struck out eight and walked four. Kris Bryant doubled in the fourth for Chicago’s only hit of the game. CARDINALS 4, MARLINS 2 » Yadier Molina hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly off former batterymate Sandy
Alcantara to cap a threerun rally in the sixth inning that sent St. Louis over Miami.
Alcantara was traded by St. Louis in a package to Miami for Marcell Ozuna in December 2017, three months after making his major league debut with Molina behind the plate.
The 25-year-old Alcantara (0-1) tied a career high with 10 strikeouts in the first five innings, shutting out the Cardinals on two hits.
TIGERS 4, TWINS 3, (10 INN.) » Akil Baddoo added another big hit in this charmed start to his big league career, lining an RBI single in the 10th inning for Detroit.
YANKEES 7, ORIOLES 2 » Gerrit Cole struck out 13 and walked none over seven scoreless innings in his most dominant start since joining the Yankees.
METS 8, PHILLIES 4 » Marcus Stroman tossed six sharp innings in his first start since 2019, Dominic Smith and Pete Alonso each hit a two-run homer and the New York Mets beat Philadelphia for their first win of the season.
REDS 14, PIRATES 1 » Tyler Naquin homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs, leading Cincinnati to its fourth straight victory.
Rookie Jonathan India had three hits and four RBIs in Cincinnati’s latest offensive outburst. Tucker Barnhart and Nick Senzel also had three hits apiece.