Braves Shut Out by Mets 1-0 in Season Opener

The Atlanta Braves lost a pitcher's duel to the New York Mets Friday in the 2020 season opener

The Braves may hit a lot of home runs this season, but they may also be a team that strikes out an awful lot.

Unfortunately for them, it was the latter on Friday. The Braves struck out 15 times in their season-opening loss to the New York Mets at Citi Field. It was the Mets that hit the game's only home run, a solo shot by designated hitter Yoenis Céspedes off Atlanta reliever Chris Martin in the seventh inning.

That turned out to be the only run of the game, as the Mets beat the Braves 1-0 in the first game of the 60-game season.

Mike Soroka and Jacob deGrom battled in an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. Soroka pitched six scoreless innings and allowed only four hits, with no walks and three strikeouts. deGrom pitched five scoreless frames and allowed just one hit, with one walk and eight strikeouts.

Soroka was pulled after six innings, despite throwing only 69 pitches. But after the extended delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, many managers are not going to over extend their starting pitchers this early in this season. deGrom had only 72 pitches through five innings of work.

Ender Inciarte made a great catch in the fifth inning, robbing J.D. Davis of a home run.

The Braves squandered two chances late in the game. In the seventh, Marcell Ozuna had a one-out double. He then moved to third on a passed ball, but Ozuna was stranded at third when Matt Adams and Austin Riley struck out.

Dansby Swanson singled to lead off the eighth inning before Adam Duvall then struck out. Johan Camargo moved Swanson over to second base on a ground out. But with the tying-run in scoring position Ronald Acuña Jr. struck out to end the inning.

Mets closer Edwin Díaz then survived a one-out walk to Freddie Freeman in the ninth inning by striking out Ozuna and Adams to end the game.

Max Fried will go for the Braves in game two of the season against another lefty, Steven Matz. Game time is once again at 4:10 pm ET.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.