Commercial and Residential Locksmiths in Atlanta

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

We know that we can look forward to Memorial Day on an annual basis. We spent the past couple years not knowing if we’d ever see Michael Soroka pitching in a Major League game again.

So, with Soroka making his much-anticipated return to Atlanta’s rotation tonight, this Memorial Day might prove to be a little more memorable for Braves fans and the countless members of the baseball world who have been pulling for the beloved Canadian hurler.

Like there are both good pitchers and great pitchers, there are good human beings and great human beings. Having torn his right Achilles tendon twice within the past three years, we don’t know what level of pitcher Soroka might be. But it seems safe to say, he’ll always be a great human being.

To think about all he has gone through over the past few years, it’s easy to ask, “Why does this keep happening to Michael?” Well, instead of taking a woe-is-me approach, Soroka has spent the past couple years being an inspiration to both athletes and non-athletes who have endured long bouts with adversity.

Soroka had been on top of the world before he first tore his right Achilles tendon while coming off the mound to cover first base on Aug. 3, 2020. He posted the National League’s third-best ERA (2.68) during his great 2019 rookie season. Then, three starts into the COVID-shortened 2020 season, his future was in doubt.

That future became even cloudier nearly 11 full months later, when he tore the same Achilles tendon while simply walking in the Braves clubhouse for treatment and rehab. Now, the mental challenges started to become every bit as daunting as the physical ones.

“I think it would be hard for a lot of us to put ourselves in his shoes,” Braves pitcher Charlie Morton said. “A lot of us have had injuries or surgeries, but most of us haven’t had failure in a year-long rehab that required another significant revision or repair that required us to go through it all again.”

Soroka’s longshot bid to return to the Majors late last year ended with right elbow discomfort. His bid to win a rotation spot out of Spring Training ended when he strained his right hamstring a day before he was set to make the drive from Atlanta to the Braves’ complex in Florida.

“It’s a kick in the groin,” Soroka said at the time.

Soroka’s patience and dedication has been tested far too often as he has seemingly led the league in bad luck the past few years. The Braves gradually built him back up over the past couple months at the Triple-A level and they decided to turn him loose after he allowed just one run during a 96-pitch, six-inning performance on Tuesday.

Soroka has a chance to further strengthen a rotation that has continued to be one of the game’s best, even without both Max Fried and Kyle Wright. Soroka's return is quite timely as Fried will likely miss at least another month and Wright will be sidelined even longer.

Time will tell whether Soroka can get back to that elite level he reached before first tearing his Achilles. But for now, it’s just great to see a good person back doing something we didn’t know if he’d ever do again.

“I hope he gets in a little groove and he’s feeling good regardless of performance,” Morton said. “I know that’s not what some people want to me to say. But there are more factors and variables with him than just getting back and trying to be somebody he was.”

Did you like this story?

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

OAKLAND -- When Michael Soroka's promising career was derailed for nearly three years -- which featured numerous setbacks, including a pair of Achilles tendon tears -- two things in particular kept him motivated while he worked his way back.

"A day like today, and the people that believed in me," Soroka said Monday night. "I've always said I was going to be back here for the people that believed in me, not the ones that said I couldn't. … There's been some people in my corner for a long, long time that have stuck by me. It's a day for them, too."

Soroka's day finally came on Monday at the Oakland Coliseum, where he returned to a big league mound for the first time since Aug. 3, 2020. The Braves dropped the series opener to the A's, 7-2, but Soroka's resilience was on display as he tossed six solid innings in his comeback effort.

• Soroka shows more than just mettle on long road back to MLB

"He wasn't going to stop," manager Brian Snitker said pregame. "He knows what he has in front of him and still has a lot of time to have a really nice career. It's not easy to do that."

Said Soroka: "It is a second debut, in a way."

The 25-year-old right-hander's final line wasn't eye-popping, as Soroka allowed four runs on five hits and two walks, striking out three. But his outing began with four shutout frames -- thanks in part to an assist from Eddie Rosario, whose leaping catch at the left-field wall robbed A's utility man Aledmys Díaz of a home run in the second inning.

After a strong start to the day, Soroka said his emotions may have gotten the better of him.

"I think I did a decent job of keeping those put away for a little bit," Soroka said. "Going out after the fourth, I started really feeling it a little bit. I made some real good pitches and started to try and do a little too much. I think that's when I let the emotions creep in."

All of the A's damage against Soroka came in the form of a four-run fifth inning that was punctuated by Ryan Noda's three-run blast on a changeup that was down in the zone. It erased the one-run lead the Braves had carried into the frame, but Soroka nonetheless got a standing ovation from the large crowd of visiting fans when he got out of the inning.

The support Soroka received from the stands throughout the game was not lost on him.

"I know it'll be a taste of what's to come in Atlanta," he said. "I think that's another day when emotions are going to have to be kept behind to be able to go out there and get some zeros."

Get the Latest From MLB

Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball.

Soroka went out for one more inning after that, issuing a free pass but allowing nothing else. In total, he threw 83 pitches -- 55 for strikes -- and was satisfied with how his stuff played.

"We were getting the swings we wanted; we were getting good results when we made our pitches," backstop Sean Murphy said. "I think that's all you can ask."

Prior to Monday, it had been 1,029 days since Soroka had last thrown a pitch in a Major League game. He sustained a right Achilles tendon tear after running off the mound to cover first base in his third start of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, then re-tore that same tendon less than one year later while walking into the home clubhouse at Truist Park.

"It was devastating," said Travis d'Arnaud, who caught Soroka's last outing in 2020. "It shows how strong he was mentally, to go this long and still have the drive to want to be successful and go back and still be able to pitch in the big leagues. I'm just so happy for him."

Braves Country is proud of you, @Mike_Soroka28!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/OrSw9nepNs

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 30, 2023

When Soroka was first sidelined, he was coming off an All-Star 2019 campaign. The Braves' righty finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting and sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting, posting a 2.68 ERA over 29 starts.

There's no guarantee that Soroka can consistently perform at that level, but with Max Fried and Kyle Wright likely sidelined until July, he has a chance to prove that he belongs in Atlanta's rotation for good.

For the time being, Soroka hopes that he can put the past three-odd years behind him and continue to move forward.

"We can think of it as this big story, and I'd prefer to just think of it as a bump in the road," Soroka said. "Hopefully we're looking back on this in a long, long time … and this feels like a long time ago as well."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- — Gathered in the indoor batting cage hours before the game, manager Mark Kotsay talked to his Oakland Athletics players during an advance meeting about the Atlanta Braves and reiterated all the little things it would take to win a game.

Ryan Noda hit a three-run homer that spoiled Michael Soroka's long-awaited return to the majors from two separate tears of his right Achilles tendon, and the A's beat the NL East-leading Braves 7-2 Monday night to snap an 11-game losing streak with just their 11th win of the season.

“There was good energy,” Kotsay said. “Obviously, ending the losing streak was big. That was definitely something that weighed on the guys. But to see the enthusiasm in the dugout, especially when Noda hits a three-run homer that puts us up, they kind of came alive and that was a good sign.”

In another comeback story, A’s right-hander Paul Blackburn came off the injured list to make his season debut, striking out six with a pair of walks over four innings. He allowed four hits and one run as the Athletics (11-45) won for only the second time in 16 games. Oakland had more losses through 55 games than any other major league team since 1900.

“We've been just needing that one little good swing, good play, good pitch,” Noda said. “We've come so close. Nice day.”

Blackburn had been sidelined with a torn nail on the middle finger of his pitching hand. He also dealt with a blister — this after ending last season on the injured list because that same finger was inflamed with a torn flexor tendon sheath.

Lucas Erceg (1-0) worked three shutout innings of hitless relief with four strikeouts for his first big league win. Pitching back home in the Bay Area after being acquired from Milwaukee in a May 17 trade, he fought the emotions of the moment — after cleaning up from a celebratory dousing, that is.

“It was anything and everything being poured on me. Just another moment for me to think back on later in life. It's something I'll never forget,” said the former infielder, so thankful for “the outpour of support that I've gotten from old teammates and friends growing up in the Bay Area.”

He referenced his struggles with alcohol — which went along with depression — that led to his sobriety beginning almost three years ago in June 2020.

Braves slugger Matt Olson hit his 17th homer in the eighth off Shintaro Fujinami. Oakland responded in the bottom half by getting RBI singles from Ramón Laureano, Shea Langeliers and Jace Peterson to make it 7-2.

Soroka gave up four runs and five hits in six innings for Atlanta, tied with the Dodgers for the best record in the National League. He struck out three, walked two and left trailing 4-1.

The right-hander was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to start against the A's on Memorial Day — a whopping 1,030 days between outings for the Braves’ 2020 opening-day starter.

“I always said I was going to be back here for the people that believed in me, not the ones that said I couldn’t,” Soroka said.

The 25-year-old pitcher received cheers from Braves fans as he ran out to the mound for the bottom of the first to make his 38th career start and first big league appearance since Aug. 3, 2020. He seemed unfazed by the moment, calmly retiring the side in order in the first on 13 pitches.

Left fielder Eddie Rosario made a leaping catch at the wall to start the second, robbing Aledmys Díaz of a home run as Soroka watched in delight.

“Let’s go, Michael!” one fan yelled.

Soroka (0-1) didn’t allow a hit until Jonah Bride’s one-out single in the third but quickly loaded the bases with another single and a hit batter. He emerged unscathed after inducing Seth Brown's inning-ending double play.

But then Soroka plunked Langeliers with a pitch to begin the fifth and gave up an RBI single to Esteury Ruiz before Noda’s drive gave Oakland a 4-1 lead.

Sean Murphy had staked Soroka to a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first against his former team.

Soroka went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 2019 to finish second in NL Rookie of the Year voting and sixth for the Cy Young Award. He first tore his Achilles on Aug. 3, 2020, and then had more hard luck. A setback led to a follow-up surgery, then he tore the same Achilles again while rehabbing midway through the 2021 season.

This spring, Soroka had another complication in his comeback because of a hamstring injury.

“It’s been a whirlwind and I’m kind of excited to put that story line behind us now and get back to putting up zeros,” Soroka said.

ON A ROLL

Braves third baseman Austin Riley extended his season-best hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning single.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: LHP Kirby Snead and RHP Freddy Tarnok, each dealing with a strained pitching shoulder, are set to throw two simulated innings apiece Tuesday and then do that another time before beginning their rehab assignments.

ROSTER MOVES

The A's recalled Bride from Triple-A Las Vegas, optioned RHP Garrett Acton to Las Vegas and designated 1B/DH Jesús Aguilar for assignment.

UP NEXT

Braves RHP Bryce Elder (3-0, 2.01 ERA) starts the middle game of the series Tuesday night opposite LHP JP Sears (0-3, 4.70).

------

While some businesses may honor our brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces once a year with an offer of a free meal or dessert on Veterans Day or Memorial Day, PulteGroup, based in Atlanta, along with Building Homes for Heroes really upped the ante with a four-bedroom house. No strings or mortgage attached.

PulteGroup’s Built to Honor program began 11 years ago in Dallas, Texas, after hearing about a builder in Houston building homes for disabled veterans.

“Every build we do is with a non-profit who helps us select a deserving veteran,” said Bryan Swindell, Dallas Division President at PulteGroup.

“They pick the floor plan, the elevation, the options that best meets their needs, and then we select the neighborhood and get busy building their house.”

“All of our employees love to get involved with the event.”

U.S. Army Sergeant David Speights, 34, felt compelled to serve his country after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Shortly after he turned 17, he enlisted out of Cartersville, Georgia, on July 6, 2005.

Speights served in Afghanistan and Korea, and it was in Afghanistan where he was injured in the line of duty after a rocket-propelled grenade exploded near him. The incident rendered him unconscious and with no memory of what happened. He has struggled with PTSD, depression, anxiety and nerve damage in his legs.

A friend of his whom he had served with recommended he reach out to PulteGroup, as Speights had hopes of owning a home for his family, but current circumstances made home ownership a struggle.

“I applied through Building Homes for Heroes and then Pulte reached out to me,” said Speights. “I interviewed with them one time and then they said they wanted a second interview.”

That “second interview” was scheduled for April 1, 2022 but no follow up was needed. PulteGroup knew they had the right veteran for this honor.

“As we were going out to look at one of the homes that could be a possibility if we are selected, we walked out the front door and everybody was standing outside welcoming us and telling us congratulations,” said Speights.

“I was in complete and utter disbelief. Brian told me this was no April Fool’s joke. This is real. Congratulations.”

Speights believes he was chosen because PulteGroup knew that giving him this home would change his life, and help him to do better and live better.

“I wanted to provide that stability to my family, and this will do that,” he said.

His new home is the 75th for PulteGroup as a company, and they hope to continue the goodwill for many years to come.

“I’m the son of a veteran,” said Swindell. “My father fought several tours in Vietnam. We have many employees who are veterans themselves or offspring of a veteran. Giving back to someone who gave so much to our country I think is important and very rewarding.”

“It’s an honor and privilege to gift this home as an expression of our gratitude for David’s service to our country. We’re proud to welcome him and his family to their new home, and hope it will be a source of joy, comfort and a place to create wonderful memories together.”

Construction on the home began in the spring of 2022 and then on Veteran’s Day, November 11, Veteran’s Day of the same year, David and his family got the keys during an emotional ceremony outside Dallas.

“Thank you Building Homes for Heroes and PulteGroup,” said Speights. “My home is the 310th home for Building Homes for Heroes and the 75th for PulteGroup. They are an amazing company and blessing me with this home is incredible.”

The PulteGroup remains committed to honoring our country's heroes and you can learn more here.

We salute you all on this worthy venture.

The NBA season is coming to a close, and with it comes the annual NBA draft. The Atlanta Hawks have an important decision to make. They finished the season with 41 wins and 41 losses, including a first-round exit to the Boston Celtics in six games. A disappointing season could be salvaged to some extent by drafting a solid player for the next season.

Even though they were involved in some trades where they had to trade draft picks (Dejounte Murray trade), they still possess the 15th and the 46th picks in this year’s draft. While these picks do not guarantee a star player, which is obvious, they do have a high chance of selecting a player that could become a great bench piece, even possibly a starter in the future.

In this article, we will go over what the Hawks should be keeping an eye on, as well as what wouldn’t be a wise move. We will look at three potential players they could select, so six total players.

The No. 15 overall pick could be a gamechanger

Some notable players were selected with the 15th pick respectively, like former MVP Steve Nash, Kawhi Leonard, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The star/bust potential for the 15th pick is extremely high. It’s the first pick outside the lottery, so there is far less pressure on the franchise when it comes to the selection of a player.

While players like Antetokounmpo and Leonard were drafted with this pick 10-plus years ago, there are also players like former Hawk Adreian Payne (rest in peace), who couldn’t translate their game to the pro level. Statmuse displays the 15th overall picks in the last 25 NBA drafts, and honestly, the chances of drafting someone solid are extremely high.

Current NBA players like Kelly Oubre, Cole Anthony, and Robin Lopez are playing valuable NBA minutes. Now, all the history aside, let’s look at the players the Hawks need to keep an eye on.

Jalen Hood-Schifino

The Hawks need a backup point guard, and according to NBADraftNet, Jalen Hood-Schifino might just be the guy for them. The one-and-done prospect could have probably raised his draft stock even more at Indiana if he stayed another season. Besides his cool name, he also has a cool game. Atlanta needs defense, and at 6’6 this big point guard could give them just that. His 6’10 wingspan terrorizes smaller point guards; he is a nightmare to go up against.

He isn’t quick like the average NBA guard considering his height, but he’s strong and athletic, with a solid shooting stroke. He averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, and won Big Ten Freshman of the Year accolades.

Nick Smith Jr.

I remember a time when Nick Smith Jr. was referred to as the next big thing in high school however, those days are long gone. Still, he is projected to go in the first round, anywhere from the late lottery to the late first round. Injuries plagued his college career however, that could mean that, with the right injury prevention treatment, he can become a Michael Porter Jr. type player.

He averaged 12.5 points in the time that he did play and his assists numbers were shaky at best. His defense is also a big what-if. I see the red flags, but he has tremendous upside as a player; his offense could boost the lackluster bench scoring of the Hawks, given that his game translates to the pro level.

Leonard Miller

FSU forward Leonard Miller is one of the fastest-rising prospects in this year’s draft. He was supposed to be in last year’s draft but he decided to withdraw his name and join the G-league Ignite, a smart move for him. The 6’10 forward developed in every sense of the word. He passes the “eye test”, and I surely believe that he could be the sleeper of this draft.

He has great handles for his size, a solid shooting stroke for a big guy, and grit and hustle instilled during his playing time in the G League. He’s long and mobile. If he does add some muscle and continues to develop his game like he has this past season, the sky is the limit. While the Hawks don’t need forwards, this guy might be an outlier just because of how versatile he is.