ATLANTA (AP) — The Braves homered three times to back six strong innings by Chris Sale, leading Atlanta to a 6-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on opening night Friday.
Coming off an injury plagued season that ended their streak of seven straight playoff appearances and already plagued by an ailing starting rotation, Sale (1-0) provided just what the Braves needed. He allowed three hits and three walks with six strikeouts before giving way to the bullpen.
Ozzie Albies homered in the first, reigning NL rookie of the year Drake Baldwin went deep in the third, and Michael Harris II added a two-run shot off Royals starter Cole Ragans (0-1) in the fourth. The left-hander was lifted after that inning, having surrendered six hits with four walks.
Braves newcomer Mauricio Dubón finished off the scoring, driving in two runs with a double to the gap in right-center against Bailey Falter in the seventh.
There are plenty of doubts about the Braves rotation after Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep went down in the spring training before Spencer Strider joined them on the injured list late in camp. For one night at least, Sale showed that the top of the starting staff is in good hands.
The bullpen looks much stronger, with former San Diego closer Robert Suárez working a scoreless eighth in his new role as the Braves set-up man for Raisel Iglesias.
Atlanta also made a winner of new manager Walt Weiss, who took over after the departure of Brian Snitker. It was Weiss' first victory in the top role since 2016, when he finished up a four-year run as Colorado's manager.
Royals: RHP Michael Wacha takes the mound in the second of three games in the series at Truist Park. He is 1-4 with a 4.42 ERA in nine career outings against Atlanta, including seven starts.
Braves: RHP Reynaldo López makes his first start in exactly a year. He went five innings against San Diego on March 28, 2025, before being shut down for the rest of the season with shoulder issues.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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