Nationals reinstate Canadian P Soroka to start series finale vs. Guardians

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michael Soroka came off the injured list and, for five innings, resembled the phenom who was an All-Star at age 21.

Then it all fell apart in the sixth.

Making his second start for the Washington Nationals and first since he strained his right biceps on March 31, Soroka cruised through five frames against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, striking out eight as the Nationals built a 3-0 lead.

His third time through the Guardians' batting order wasn't so smooth. Soroka loaded the bases in the sixth with nobody out and then fell behind to Carlos Santana, who lined a 2-1 slider to right field for a bases-clearing double. Santana came in to score against reliever Jorge Lopez, leaving Soroka with a line of four runs allowed in five innings. Cleveland ultimately scored eight runs in the sixth and won 8-6.

“The only pitch I really, really want back is that one to Santana,” Soroka said. “I just threw it about 6 inches too high and he’s a good hitter. He made me pay.”

Soroka was reinstated from the 15-day IL before the game. He gave up an identical four runs in five innings during his Washington debut, a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Before the ugly end to Wednesday's outing, Soroka dominated the Guardians with a sharp slider and 96 mph fastball — the swing-and-miss stuff that led the Nationals to sign him to a $9 million, one-year deal in the offseason.

“As a whole, we got it in the zone early, let them know that I was throwing all pitches for strikes,” Soroka said. “That’s ultimately where I’m at my best.”

An All-Star with Atlanta during his first full season in 2019, the 27-year-old Soroka has been limited by injuries since. He tore his right Achilles tendon on a routine fielding play in 2020, then injured the same tendon while walking into Atlanta’s ballpark the following year. He missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

“We’ve got to keep him healthy, right?” manager Dave Martinez said. “But I think he’s going to give us a lot of innings, keep us in games just like he did today.”

Soroka hasn't won in the majors since 2023. Last year for the Chicago White Sox, he went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA in 25 appearances, including nine starts.

Washington optioned right-hander Eduardo Salazar to Triple-A Rochester to make room for Soroka. Salazar is 0-1 with a 9.77 ERA in 17 appearances this season.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb