It wasn’t the preferable result, but Mike Soroka felt at home in Atlanta.
The 20-year old made his highly anticipated SunTrust Park debut on Sunday. He gave up four runs in four innings against the Giants in a 4-3 loss. It was the first time the Braves were swept in 2018.
Pinpoint control is Soroka’s calling card. The right-hander walked five batters across 22 innings (four starts) with Triple-A Gwinnett. He didn’t issue a walk in his six-inning debut against the Mets in his major league debut last week.
But Soroka walked three Giants. He issued more than two walks for just the sixth time in his past 32 starts. He allowed the first hitter to reach base in each of his four innings.
“They came out and took some good pitches,” Soroka told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Definitely the two walks, the 3-2 pitches were rather uncompetitive. It’s just my job to keep attacking. We just never really found our rhythm today. I feel like they were controlling the game a little bit more than I’d liked. That’s not something you’re used to as much. But it’s something I’m going to have to learn.”
He walked two in the first inning, including leadoff man Gregor Blanco, but it didn’t come back to hurt him. His second inning was smoother, striking out the side after Brandon Crawford singled to open the frame.
In the bottom of the inning, Soroka collected his first career hit on a single up the middle off Giants starter Andrew Suarez, who was making his first road start.
The Giants got on the board in the third. Blanco singled and Andrew McCutchen walked to open the inning. Both scored on hits from Nick Hundley and Pablo Sandoval, respectively. Soroka escaped via Crawford’s double play.
“You have to come out and keep attacking and make them play your game as opposed to theirs,” Soroka said. “I think there weren’t too many control issues. I made a lot of good pitches. They were just clipping the plate, an inch off. There’s no reason to change anything just because we’re missing by that much.”
The Giants exhibited a more patient approach than the Mets had in Soroka’s first start. They produced more hitters’ counts and shied away from what he considered a flat sinker.
“But that’s something I really have to realize early,” he said. “We were able to change that a little bit for sure. Certainly mix in more four-seamers, pitch in a little bit. I made a couple good pitches in on lefties. Like I said, it’s just small, small differences that make that game into what it was.”
Soroka was again hit with back-to-back singles in the fourth. After Suarez’s sacrifice bunt, a fielder’s choice on Blanco’s grounder gave the Giants their third run. McCutchen’s sacrifice fly made it 4-1.
“What it was in the fourth inning there, it could be a day where everything’s being caught and you’re pitching into the sixth or seventh,” Soroka said.
Braves manager Brian Snitker confirmed Soroka will make another start, currently slated Saturday at the Marlins.
Anibal Sanchez, whose hamstring injury prompted Soroka’s arrival, is day-to-day, but it’s unlikely the rookie will relinquish his rotation spot. Sanchez could be used in long-relief if the Braves opt to keep Soroka in the rotation.
“He’s going to take something away from every outing that he has, especially this first year,” Snitker said. “There’s going to be things that go on, things that he experiences facing the most more experienced hitters, the different lineup and things like that. He’s going to take away a lot just playing the game, being in the major leagues and facing major league hitters up and down the lineup.”
Soroka’s two starts and 10 innings into his major league career. It’s been a feeling out process for the kid many evaluators, fans and the like consider the Braves’ best bet at an internally developed ace.
While he induced more swings and misses in the minors, something that encouraged general manager Alex Anthopoulos, Soroka is understanding the new tasks in facing big-league hitters.
That’s especially true when opposing a veteran, championship-proven group such as the Giants.
“Guys see their pitch a little more,” he said. “Guys don’t miss too many pitches. Too many quality strikes are not taken or swung at for them. But good stuff still gets outs. I think I got away from that a little bit today. I was just trying to put the ball into places instead of attacking with my best stuff. But it’s just the way it is sometimes.
“You’re going to have some of the experience they have over there (in San Francisco) with all those rings. You’re going to have change-ups low that are just spit on that you’re not quite used to. That’s something to take into the future and learn that that’s going to happen. You have to come back and make your pitches as good as possible as well.”
It wasn’t Soroka’s first time on the SunTrust mound; he started the Braves’ final exhibition game there in late March, an experience he said helped him Sunday.
He also lauded the audience – the Braves averaged over 39,000 fans for the three-game set – and recognized it was a day he’d worked toward since the Braves drafted him in 2015.
“I did feel at home,” he said. “It was the first time, and hopefully the first of many.”
