Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb appears to have turned a corner toward formidable in his young career, and Ronald Acuna continues to be outrageously advanced for his age.
Newcomb limited the Tampa Bay Rays to two hits in six scoreless innings and Acuna’s long third-inning homer accounted for all the offense in a 1-0 Braves win Tuesday night to open a two-game series at Tropicana Field.
It was the second consecutive dominant start for Newcomb, after the left-hander pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball with one walk and eight strikeouts in a win last week against the Mets.
He wasn’t as efficient against the Rays but effective, allowing three walks with six strikeouts, not facing more than four batters in an inning, firing 65 strikes in 105 pitches.
The bullpen made the lead stand, with Dan Winkler getting a big strikeout to strand two runners in the eighth inning.
The Rays got a broken-bat leadoff single in the ninth from Wilson Ramos. Then second baseman Ozzie Albies leaped high to catch a line drive by the next batter, Denard Span, and threw to first to double up pinch-runner Mallex Smith.
The Rays won 11 of their past 15 games including six of seven at home before losing the interleague series opener to the Braves, who rebounded after getting swept in a three-game home series against the Giants.
Acuna’s homer was his third in nine road games since the youngest player in the majors made his debut on the Braves’ last trip. All of the 20-year-old’s homers have been tape-measure shots with extreme exit velocity.
This one had a projected distance of 434 feet and 108.5 mph exit velocity to the left-center field seats some 15 rows back. Acuna hit it on a full-count slider with two out in the third inning off left-hander Blake Snell, who had won four consecutive decisions, allowed only two homers over his past five starts and came in with a 2.55 ERA. Snell gave up only three other hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings.
Credit: Julio Aguilar
Credit: Julio Aguilar
Newcomb has allowed four hits in 13 scoreless innings over his past two starts. The big lefty gave up five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of his season debut April 2 against the Nationals, but in six starts since then he’s 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA, allowing 26 hits, eight earned runs and 14 walks with 42 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings.
He lasted six or more innings in five of those past six starts and allowed two earned runs in two games and no runs in three others in that period.
