The Atlanta Braves beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 to claim victory in their 2020 home opener.
There is no place like home! The Atlanta Braves returned to Atlanta for the first time in 2020, as they continued their series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
It only took a return to Truist Park for the Braves to correct course and claim victory against the Rays.
Mike Soroka took the mound for the second time in 2020, and pitched 5 1/3 innings of Soroka baseball as he gave up four hits, three runs (two earned), and five strikeouts. Soroka was dominant once again until he ran into trouble in the sixth inning and was relieved by Darren O’Day.
Darren O’Day struggled giving up three runs to the Rays – two of those belonging to Soroka.
After O’Day’s hiccup in the sixth inning the Atlanta Braves’ bullpen was shut down. A.J. Minter, Chris Martin, and Mark Melancon combined to give up zero hits and strike out three batters over the next three innings in Wednesday night’s contest.
Freddie Freeman shook off any lingering COVID-19 hangover and returned to form on Wednesday evening. Freeman was a triple shy of the cycle and launched his first home run of the 2020 season in third inning. He would finish the night going 4-for-5.
No place like home for @FreddieFreeman5 pic.twitter.com/ThVL7rKP6m
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) July 30, 2020
Travis d’Arnaud made his season debut for the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night against his former team. He caught a great game and finished 1-for-3 at the plate – with a double and a sacrifice fly.
Dansby Swanson continued his hot streak at the plate going 2-for-4 with another RBI. Swanson is now responsible for seven Braves’ runs through the first week of baseball.
While Braves’ players struck out 10 times on Wednesday night, the silver lining is that was less than the Braves’ MLB leading 12.8 strikeouts per game thus far in 2020. And they were making better contact on Wednesday, and hopefully that trend continues through the remaining 2020 shortened season.
The Braves and Rays will finish up their series in Atlanta on Thursday as Max Fried takes on Ryan Yarbrough. A series tie is still a welcome option for the Atlanta Braves after the first two games of the series.