Soto's single lifts Nationals over Braves in delayed opener

WASHINGTON (AP) – Juan Soto drove in the winning run with a single on a 3-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday, lifting the coronavirus-depleted Washington Nationals to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves after waiting five days to start their season. Lefty reliever Will Smith (0-1) entered for the ninth and promptly gave up a single to new leadoff hitter Victor Robles, and then hit Trea Turner with a pitch. That brought up Soto, the 2020 NL batting champion, and he delivered a line drive to center field. Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson homered against Washington ace Max Scherzer. Acuña drove Scherzer’s first pitch of the game deep to left-center, and led off the third with his second homer. Turner hit a two-run shot for the Nationals. Daniel Hudson (1-0) got the win. Because of a COVID-19 outbreak – four players tested positive; seven were forced into quarantine after potentially being exposed – Washington’s first four scheduled games were scrapped. YANKEES 7, ORIOLES 2 NEW YORK (AP) – Gerrit Cole struck out 13 and walked none over seven scoreless innings in his most dominant start since joining the Yankees. Cole (1-0) allowed four hits, three of them singles, in the type of the performance that showed why the Yankees made him baseball’s highest-paid pitcher in December 2019 with a $324 million, nine-year contract. Jay Bruce backed him with his first Yankees home run, a solo shot in the second off Dean Kremer (0-1), and Aaron Judge added a three-run homer in the eighth. New York has won a team-record 12 straight home games against the Orioles since May 2019, outscoring Baltimore 76-28. It moved above .500 for first time this year at 3-2. Rio Ruiz hit a two-run homer for Baltimore with two out in the ninth. METS 8, PHILLIES 4 PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Marcus Stroman tossed six sharp innings in his first start since 2019, sending New York to the win. Dominic Smith and Pete Alonso each hit a two-run homer for the Mets. Didi Gregorius hit a solo homer for Philadelphia, which sought its first 5-0 start since 1915. After sitting out last year due to COVID-19 concerns, Stroman (1-0) didn’t miss a step. He allowed one run and three hits. Phillies starter Chase Anderson (0-1) permitted two runs and two hits over five innings in his first start with his new team. ASTROS 4, ANGELS 2 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the ninth inning, lifting Houston to the victory. Kyle Tucker and Aledmys Díaz hit back-to-back homers in the second inning for the Astros, who went an impressive 5-1 on their six-game road trip to start the season amid the incessant booing and jeering they’ll hear indefinitely as fans react to their sign-stealing scandal in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Mike Trout hit a 464-foot homer in the first inning, but the Angels dropped to 4-2 and failed to match the best six-game start in franchise history. Raisel Iglesias (1-1) got the loss. Ryan Pressly (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for Houston, getting Justin Upton to ground into a game-ending double play. REDS 14, PIRATES 1 CINCINNATI (AP) – Tyler Naquin homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs, leading Cincinnati to its fourth straight victory. Rookie Jonathan India had three hits and four RBIs in Cincinnati’s latest offensive outburst. Tucker Barnhart and Nick Senzel also had three hits apiece. The Reds set a franchise record with 46 runs in their first five games. The 1895 and 1976 teams scored 44 runs through five games. Cincinnati left-hander Wade Miley (1-0) pitched six scoreless innings in his first start of the year. Phillip Evans homered for Pittsburgh in the seventh. The utilityman also pitched a perfect eighth.