Braves rookie Soroka handcuffs Mets
Atlanta rookie Mike Soroka came off the disabled list and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning to help the Braves blank the New York Mets 2-0 on Wednesday afternoon at SunTrust Park.
Soroka (2-1) had been sidelined for a month due to a sore right shoulder. He was activated on Wednesday without the benefit of a rehab start and appeared to pick up where he left off before the injury.
Soroka painted the corner with his fastball and changed speeds effectively throughout his stint. He allowed a second-inning walk to Jay Bruce, but Bruce was erased on a double play. The Mets didn't get a hit until Michael Conforto reached on an infield single to shortstop to lead off the seventh.
Soroka retired one more batter before Atlanta manager Brian Snitker went to the bullpen. Soroka threw 6 1/3 innings and allowed no runs on one hit and one walk. He struck out four.
Atlanta's A.J. Minter got the final two outs in the seventh, Dan Winkler pitched a scoreless eighth and closer Arodys Vizcaino worked around a walk and a hit to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and nail down his 12th save.
Freddie Freeman homered for the Braves.
The win gave Atlanta a sweep of the two-game series and improved its record against the Mets this season to 9-3. New York has dropped 15 of its last 18 games.
New York starter Jacob deGrom (4-2) was the hard-luck loser. He allowed only one run in seven innings, scattering seven hits and striking out seven.
Freeman drove in both of the Atlanta runs, giving him 48 RBIs on the season. He went 2-for-4 and raised his batting average to .344.
In the fourth inning, Dansby Swanson doubled with one out and scored on Freeman's single.
Freeman provided an insurance run in the eighth inning on a solo homer, his 14th, against reliever Jerry Blevins.
--Field Level Media
