TAKEAWAYS: Cardinals outslug Braves 10-6 in game one

The ball was flying tonight at Truist Park, but the Braves came out on the wrong end of an offensive onslaught.

In a game that saw eight balls leave the yard (and one more homer that was robbed), the loathsome Cardinals defeated the Braves 10-6. Here are some takeaways.

Soroka Struggles

It just wasn't Michael Soroka's night. Back from Gwinnett for his sixth start of the season with the big club, the right-hander looked sharp in the first inning, striking out two while sitting the Cards down one-two-three. But the second and third innings were unkind, with Tyler O'Neill and Nolan Gorman taking him deep and the visitors plating five runs overall.

To add (possible) injury to insult, Soroka was taken out of the game after being examined in the dugout by the training staff. News has just come down that he experienced numbness in his fingers and will head to the IL, which really stinks. All told, the Canadian went three innings, allowing five earned runs and two homers while walking one and striking out six. That last stat is actually promising, as his stuff looked electric at times. But when he missed, he missed up and in the zone, and the Cardinals punished him for it.

We'll see what happens from here, but this is likely the last time we'll see him in Atlanta this season. Where things go heading into 2024 is anybody's guess, but it's safe to say we still don't have much more clarity on Soroka's place in the organization's future than we did back in March.

Taters

There were a lot of them. Too many by the Cardinals, as they victimized Soroka twice, and Collin McHugh and Michael Tonkin once each. The Braves also swatted four longballs, with Ozzie Albies hitting his first bomb since returning from the IL in the first inning. Austin Riley and Matt Olson homered on consecutive pitches in the sixth, which means they've gone back-to-back at least once in six straight months, the only players in baseball history to ever do that. So that's pretty cool. 

Marcell Ozuna continued his torrid pace with his 33rd bomb in the eighth inning, which kicked off a frame where the Braves threatened to make it a game. Alas, the Cardinal relievers were up to the task, and the Braves could only cut the deficit to 9-6. The Birds then added to the lead in the ninth with their fourth blast.

The four-homer game should at least get the Braves back on pace to possibly break the single-season team homer record, held by the 2019 Twins. That'll be a storyline to watch as the season winds down. The record is 307, and the Braves now have 263 jacks with 25 games left.

On Deck

This loss isn't anything of significant consequence, though losing to the wretched Redbirds always stings a little. The Braves will attempt to shake this off tomorrow night when the same two teams lock horns again. Spencer Strider, in the midst of a Cy Young Award push, gets the ball for Atlanta. He's 16-4 with a 3.56 ERA. He also leads baseball with 245 strikeouts, a 2.81 FIP, and a 2.87 xFIP.

Opposing him will be right-hander Dakota Hudson, who's 5-1 with a 4.02 ERA, 5.05 FIP, and 4.93 xFIP. First pitch will be at the usual time, 7:20pm Eastern. The TV broadcast is on Bally Sports South throughout Braves Country and MLB.tv nationally. The radio call is available in the Atlanta metro area on 680 The Fan, across the Southeast on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network, and nationally on MLB.tv.

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