I have a proprietary interest in Mike Soroka because I attended his MLB debut last year.  There’s very little not to like of what we’ve seen of Mike.  In tonight’s game he gave up a walk and two singles to yield a run to the first three batters; after that, he was My Soroka: 109 pitches, 6.2 IP, 7K, though he left the game with the bases loaded.  Nice work, young man.  My granddaughter is 6 years younger than Soroka; if he’s willing to wait until she’s out of college, I think I could set them up.  He should be quite wealthy by then.

Josh Tomlin threw one high leverage pitch to Schebler, who scorched it to Freddy for the third out.  Luke Jackson continued his forced march to competence in an inning with a walk and a double play. Winkler pitched a perfect 8th and Minter a perfect 9th. Luke Winkter may not be O’Ventbrel yet, but they were tonight.

The Reds started with their Fountainhead who joined the Reds this year after 6 years in DC.  Ozzie hit the opening pitch 400 feet and Puig misplayed a sinking liner by Markakis to score Acuna and give the Braves a 2-1 lead in the 5th.  I haven’t heard much about Bobby Cox’s condition, but it would have been interesting to have seen the 1990’s Bobby manage the 2010’s Puig: the immovable object meets the irresistible force. Get well, Bobby.

Ozzie led off the 9th with a walk and sailed around the bases on a JD double to give the Braves a minor Minter mistake margin.  He didn’t need it.  3-1 final. Rubber game tomorrow.

Chipism of the day: “He was in the right place at the right time.” (Said of Suarez when a line drive was hit right to him.)  What exactly does “at the right time” add to this phrase which he uses constantly?  Yes, I suppose if he’d had to dive over there after the ball went into left field one could argue he was in the right place, just too late.  But it’s a stupid phrase, which pretty much describes why Chip uses it at least once every game.