Braves drop opening-day pitcher’s duel on Yoenis Cespedes home run

The Mike Soroka versus Jacob deGrom duel lived up to the hype on opening day.

After playing to a stalemate through 6-1/2 innings, Yoenis Cespedes – playing his first game in just over two years – cranked a solo home run off reliever Chris Martin. The Braves lost to the Mets, 1-0, at Citi Field on Friday.

In typical Soroka fashion, he didn’t show his ripe age (22) on the big stage. In his first opening-day start, Soroka pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits, striking out three and not issuing a walk. Soroka pitched around a leadoff single from Amed Rosario to complete his final inning.

Soroka became the youngest opening-day starter in the Braves’ modern history. He threw 69 pitches, 48 strikes. Soroka showed a nice mix of pitches, with his noted sinker sharp out of the gate.

DeGrom pitched five scoreless innings, throwing 72 pitches and allowing only two base runners. Ronald Acuna collected the only hit against the reigning Cy Young winner on a broken-bat single. DeGrom owns a 1.90 ERA against the Braves in his career (22 starts).

Because of the starters’ brilliance, neither team had a player reach third base until the seventh inning. Marcell Ozuna laced a one-out double to left and advanced on a passed ball. Reliever Seth Lugo retired Matt Adams and Austin Riley to keep the game scoreless.

The Braves had another opportunity in the eighth, when Dansby Swanson opened the frame with a hit. Adam Duvall struck out, Johan Camargo grounded out and Acuna struck out to leave Swanson stranded at second. Freddie Freeman drew a one-out walk in the ninth, but Edwin Diaz fanned Marcell Ozuna and Matt Adams to end it.

Notes from opening day:

– Freeman provided two season-firsts in the first frame. He became the Braves’ first base runner when he drew a walk off deGrom. He was also responsible for the team’s first outstanding defensive play, snagging a sharply hit ball by Jeff McNeil and tagging first to get Brandon Nimmo for a double play.

– Soroka’s shutout was preserved in the fourth with the help of McNeil’s base-running blunder. McNeil was at second after doubling off Soroka. He was initially ruled out on a rocket throw from Acuna in the right-field corner but was safe upon review.

It didn’t come back to haunt the Braves. McNeil tried to advance to third on Pete Alonso’s grounder to short, allowing Swanson to fire into third. Austin Riley tagged McNeil out on a collision. Soroka retired Michael Conforto to end the inning.

– Ender Inciarte made an impressive leaping catch in deep center to prevent J.D. Davis from at least logging a double and likely knocking in the game’s first run. The three-time Gold Glove winner perfectly timed his jump. Inciarte also made a nice running catch to retire McNeil in the sixth.

– Riley went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his first opening-day start at third base. He wasn’t as bad as the numbers show. While one of his strikeouts came on a slider, he did lay off several sliders against deGrom and Lugo. He worked two 0-2 counts to full. The results weren’t there, but Riley did exhibit growing plate discipline.

Catcher Alex Jackson, who was forced into action after both the Braves’ regular catchers were placed on the COVID-19-designated injured list, went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. Jackson only appeared in four games last season and is still seeking his first major-league hit.

William Contreras made his MLB debut in the eighth when he replaced Jackson. Contreras caught right-hander Shane Greene, who allowed a Nimmo single but nothing further.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 in his Braves debut. He broke through with a one-out double in the seventh.

– The Braves and Mets continue their three-game series Saturday. The game will feature a pair of lefty starters in Max Fried and Steven Matz.