| NEW YORK (AP) Three pitches in Jim Thome Jersey , Ronald Acuna Jr. was off and running.Acuna led off with his first big league triple and reached three times, Johan Camargo hit a two-run double in a three-run third inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 4-2 Thursday night to extend their winning streak to four.Acuna grounded inside the third-base bag and down the line. When left fielder Michael Conforto struggled to find the ball quickly, Acuna sped to third in 11.15 seconds, according to MLB’s Statcast. Acuna slid in headfirst as his helmet came off.”I slowed down at first,” Acuna said through an interpreter. ”I think we were all thinking double, double when it came off the bat, and I don’t think we expected it to take the hop that it did. So, I kind of slowed up at first and kind of turned it up a little bit.”He scored when Ozzie Albies followed with a single. Acuna is hitting .357 (15 for 42) since being moved to the leadoff spot on July 20 and the Braves think the 20-year-old is even quicker than before since returning from a knee injury on June 28.”I just know that when he came back from the injury he’s running faster than he was prior,” manager Brian Snitker said. ”He’s got another gear. That speed’s a weapon for him.”Making his second big league start in center, Acuna threw out Wilmer Flores trying to stretch a single into a double in the sixth. Flores initially was called safe by second base umpire Gary Cederstrom, but the call was overturned in a video review and Acuna was credited with his first big league outfield assist.Mike Foltynewicz (8-7) won for the first time since July 11 http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-scott-kingery-jersey , allowing two runs and five hits in six innings. Three pitchers followed with one-hit relief as the Braves improved to 10-3 against the Mets this year.”Just how hard he swings at the ball, kind of reminds me of Bryce Harper a little bit,” Foltynewicz said of Acuna. ”Just very intimidating at the plate and when he puts the play, especially in the gaps, it’s awesome to watch him run.”New York dropped a season-low 18 games under .500 at 44-62. The Mets have lost 41 of their last 60 games overall and 23 of their last 32 home games.Jason Vargas (2-7) allowed four runs and six hits in five innings. He has not pitched past the fifth in any of his 11 starts.”He had to get a few more outs than he probably should have, but I thought his stuff was good, crisp, had some swings and miss,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. ”Kept the ball down for the most part. That’s your typical Vargas. Kept us in the game and did his job”.Todd Frazier returned from a ribcage injury and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his first game since July 8. He was booed loudly when he hit an inning-ending popup in the sixth that stranded Conforto on third.Brandon Nimmo hit his career-high 14th homer leading off the bottom half of the first, and Freddie Freeman had a go-ahead single in the third as Atlanta took a 4-1 lead. Freeman is hitting .400 (20 for 50) against New York this season.Freeman’s single came after Acuna took second when the Mets could not execute a pickoff play.”I tried to rush a little bit,” Flores said. ”Just kind of got away a little bit.”Pinch-hitter Luis Guillorme singled in a run for the Mets in the fifth.Jesse Biddle pitched a perfect seventh Odubel Herrera Jersey , and Brad Brach struck out Conforto with a runner on second to end the eighth. A.J. Minter worked around a leadoff walk to Flores to remain perfect in seven save chances.FAMILIAR FACES: RHP Kevin Gausman was activated two days, after being acquired from Baltimore and had the locker next to former Orioles teammate Nick Markakis. He also was reunited with infielder Ryan Flaherty and Brad Brach, acquired from the Orioles on Sunday. Gausman is slated to make his Braves debut Saturday.TRAINER’S ROOMMets: OF Yoenis Cespedes had surgery to remove bone calcification in his right heel. He will have a second surgery on his left heel in two to three months. … LHP Steven Matz was diagnosed with a flexor-pronator strain in his left forearm and could be placed on the DL. The Mets said they will decide Friday, two days before Matz’s next turn. … INF Phillip Evans was placed on the DL with a broken tibia. He will be on crutches for at least three weeks and will not be able to resume baseball activities for a month. … RHP Bobby Wahl got two outs in the eighth in his Mets debut, his first big league appearance since May 23 last year with Oakland.UP NEXTRHP Anibal Sanchez (5-3, 3.00) is to start for the Braves on Friday, two days after a rainout caused his turn to be pushed back. He is 4-5 with a 4.34 ERA in 13 starts against the Mets. New York RHP Jacob deGrom (5-6, 1.82) is 5-4 with a 1.80 ERA in 15 starts against Atlanta.— WASHINGTON (AP) — Essentially throwing in the towel on a disappointing season, the Washington Nationals traded second baseman Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs and first baseman Matt Adams to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.Despite a roster that boasts such stars as Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper, Washington went into a three-game series at home against Philadelphia with a losing record of 62-63, 7½ games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves.General manager Mike Rizzo and ownership gambled at the July trade deadline http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-jorge-alfaro-jersey , standing pat and expressing faith in the roster as constituted. The Nationals trounced the New York Mets 25-4 that night, but are 9-10 since, including a 2-5 road trip through Chicago and St. Louis that featured a 4-3 loss at Wrigley Field on a two-out, walk-off grand slam.“We felt that coming off that road trip and into this most recent homestand was a time that was a litmus test for us … and we felt that the timing was right to make the vital decisions that we had to make,” Rizzo said.The deals came three weeks after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and the Nationals aren’t getting much in return.For Murphy, who was hitting .300 since his return from knee surgery, the Cubs are swapping Class A infielder Andruw Monasterio and a player to be named or cash. For Adams, the Cardinals are sending $50,000 to Washington.“These are tough decisions, to trade a ultimate professionals like Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams is never easy Josh Bell Jersey ,” Rizzo said. “We felt this was the best way to facilitate what we are trying to do not only in 2018 but beyond.”The 33-year-old Murphy was a big hitter during his time in Washington. A postseason star in 2015 with the Mets, he signed with the Nationals that winter and was an All-Star the next two years. Murphy missed the first 64 games this season but hit in 11 straight before being stymied by Miami’s Jose Urena on Sunday.“My thoughts are it’s really bittersweet,” Murphy said. “I sat at this podium probably 2 1/2 years ago. The Washington Nationals were the only offer I had. They took a chance on me three years ago and I feel very disappointed in myself that it kind of came to this point, I guess would be the easiest way to describe it.”Asked how close the team came to including Harper — a free agent after the season — in the Tuesday deals, Rizzo said: “You have to get a deal that makes sense to trade one of the elite players in the game.”Harper, who struggled for much of the first half, won the Home Run Derby during the All-Star festivities at Nationals Park. Since the break he is hitting .350 with seven home runs, 25 RBIs and 21 runs scored in 28 games.“I’ve been part of this organization for seven years and I look forward to coming in and doing my job every single day and I had no fear of being traded or let go on waivers or anything like that,” Harper said.The Nationals were coming off two consecutive division titles under manager Dusty Baker, who was fired after last season and replaced by rookie skipper Dave Martinez.Murphy expressed support for Martinez, without even being asked about him.“Right man for the job here in DC http://www.piratesfanproshop.com/authentic-sean-rodriguez-jersey ,” Murphy said.The Nationals’ high-water mark came on May 30 when they defeated the Orioles for their sixth straight win to improve to 33-22. They haven’t won more than three straight games since.“We’re definitely not in an ideal spot,” veteran first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “We had a chance a couple of times to gain some ground and couldn’t really string together many wins in a row.”Given the moves, Martinez was asked how he convinces his team that the three games against the contending Phillies are still big.“What’s funny is that I’ve had guys already come in the office and I don’t think I need to convince them,” he said. “They know what we are playing for and they’re all in.”To fill the spots created by the departure of Murphy and Adams, the Nationals recalled infielder Adrian Sanchez and outfielder Andrew Stevenson from Triple-A Syracuse. |
