KYLE WRIGHT

Two months into the season, it looked like the New York Mets were headed for an NL East runaway.

As he was going through the postgame handshake line, Kyle Wright received a request from Braves manager Brian Snitker. Wright became the first 20-game winner in the majors this season and Atlanta beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 on Saturday to stop a three-game losing streak. “I don't know if I realized how cool it was until my teammates and coaches congratulated me real quick afterward,” Wright said.

Matt Olson hit a three-run homer against his former club and the Atlanta Braves won their sixth in a row, outslugging the Oakland Athletics 10-9 and finally catching the slumping Mets atop the NL East.

Kyle Wright pitched seven scoreless innings to earn his major league-leading 17th victory, Austin Riley and Ronald Acuña Jr. homered, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2.

Freddie Freeman drove in the go-ahead run with a grounder in the top of the 10th inning, Chris Martin escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Miami Marlins 3-2.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have put All-Star pitcher Tony Gonsolin on the injured list because of a strained right forearm, making the move as a precaution hours before his scheduled start at Miami.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Oneil Cruz has recorded the hardest-hit ball in the seven years that Major League Baseball has measured exit velocity.

Tony Gonsolin took a no-hit try into the seventh inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers won their 11th straight game, beating the Kansas City Royals 8-3.

Top Atlanta prospect Vaughn Grissom homered onto Lansdowne Street in his major league debut to lead the Braves to an 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning as the Philadelphia Phillies took full advantage of an overturned call to beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1.

Looking to replicate the deals that helped carry them to a World Series title in 2021, the Atlanta Braves have pulled of a flurry of trades ahead of the deadline.

The World Series champion Atlanta Braves bolstered their starting staff ahead of the trade deadline Tuesday by giving up a reliever who played a big part in their 2021 title. Poised for another postseason run, the Braves dealt former closer Will Smith to the Houston Astros for right-hander Jake Odorizzi, giving Atlanta a sixth starting pitcher for the final two months of the regular season. The move was the biggest of three deadline deals pulled off by general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who on Monday gave up minor leaguers for corner outfielder Robbie Grossman from Detroit and infielder Ehire Adrianza from Washington.

Houston ace Justin Verlander, who leads the major leagues in wins, takes a 13-3 record and 1.86 ERA into his start Friday against visiting Seattle.

The Royals will be without 10 of the 26 players on their active roster for their upcoming trip to Toronto due to Canadian restrictions on travelers who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19.

The New York Mets won two of three in their NL East showdown with the Atlanta Braves despite playing without two of their four All-Stars. It helped that Francisco Lindor played like he should be included at the Midsummer Classic. Lindor led New York’s home-run barrage with a three-run shot, Chris Bassitt threw six strong innings and the Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 7-3 on Wednesday.

Willson Contreras had three hits and stole a base in his first game against younger brother William, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3.

The Chicago Cubs became the first team in 23 years to stop a losing streak of 10 or more game while ending an opponent’s winning streak of at least 10 games, beating the Braves 1-0 to end the Braves’ 14-game run.

Adam Duvall homered twice off José Quintana, William Contreras and Matt Olson also connected, and the Atlanta Braves won their 11th straight game, 5-3 over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ozzie Albies and the Atlanta Braves have won 10 straight going into their home game Sunday against Pittsburgh, while rookie Bryson Stott and the Phillies have a nine-game winning streak as they host Arizona.

Dansby Swanson blooped a three-run single, Ozzie Albies added a grand slam in an eight-run seventh inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-4 for their 10th consecutive win.

The AL Central-leading Twins start a home series against the AL East-leading Yankees with their rotation in a dire situation.

Dansby Swanson scored the tiebreaking run in the fifth inning on an excruciating defensive sequence by the Phillies, and the Atlanta Braves beat Philadelphia 8-4.

Ronald Acuña Jr. had two hits and the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 5-3.

Ha-Seong Kim had a run-scoring double to give San Diego the lead in a four-run 11th inning and the Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 7-3.

Marcell Ozuna homered and Austin Riley hit a tiebreaking double during a four-run rally in the eighth inning that lifted the Atlanta Braves to a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Ronald Acuña Jr. went 1 for 5 with two stolen bases in his return to the Braves lineup, but it was Kyle Wright who claimed a starring role, pitching three-hit ball over a career-high seven innings to give Atlanta a 5-1 win over the Cubs.

Joe Musgrove pitched 6 2/3 brilliant innings for his hometown Padres against defending World Series champion Atlanta, Manny Machado homered for his career-high fifth hit and rookie C.

Charlie Morton allowed only two hits while pitching into the sixth inning while returning from a broken leg, Travis d’Arnaud drove in three runs and the Atlanta Braves held off the Cincinnati Reds 7-6.

Caught in lockout limbo, Yankees star Aaron Judge, Red Sox ace Chris Sale, Braves slugger Adam Duvall and other players are doing their best to stay loose.

Time and time again, the Houston Astros put runners on base.

The Atlanta Braves are one win from their first World Series title in 26 years.

A guy who spent most of the season in the minors kept the Braves in it. Just like that, Atlanta is one win from its first World Series title in 26 years. Dansby Swanson and pinch-hitter Jorge Soler connected for back-to-back homers in the seventh inning Saturday night, propelling the Braves to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros and a commanding 3-1 Series lead.

Atlanta's Dylan Lee became the first pitcher to make his first big league start in the World Series.

The Braves are three outs away from a 1-0 World Series advantage, leading 6-2 after eight innings in Game 1.

Dodgers ace right-hander Max Scherzer is the planned starter for the opening game of the NL Championship Series against the Braves.

Where do Jarred Kelenic, Wander Franco, Nate Pearson and other top players stand as minor league baseball teams begin their season?

Jacob deGrom and the Mets hope to finally play some baseball.

Jacob deGrom and the Mets hope to finally play some baseball.

Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring after injuring himself while running the bases.

“We’re just talking.”The Mets obtained Lindor from Cleveland in January, and he's signed for this season at $22.3 million. Canning now has 13 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has permitted three hits in 8 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts and a walk. Nola has given up 15 hits in 8 2/3 innings, seeing his ERA rise to 10.38. Kyle Wright made his fourth start, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings.

The 2018 AL Rookie of the Year is off to a strong start this spring on both sides. PHILLIES 3, PIRATES 0Bryce Harper homered on his first swing of spring training, launching a opposite-field drive to left. Chad Kuhl made his second start for Pittsburgh, allowing two runs on three hits. Brad Keller worked three innings in the start for the Royals and allowed a run on four hits and two walks. BRAVES 4, TWINS 0 (7)Kyle Wright fared much better in his second start for Atlanta, allowing one hit in three shutout innings with two strikeouts.

AdJazz Chisholm of the Marlins and Adam Haseley of the Phillies did even better — they led off games with home runs. Mancini took off his helmet to acknowledge a standing ovation that included the fans, the Orioles and the Pirates. Marco Gonzales made his first spring start for Seattle, allowing two hits and an unearned run in two innings. Center fielder Trent Grisham, coming off his first Gold Glove last season, doubled and scored a run for San Diego. Top prospect Jeter Downs had a two-run home run and RBI single, while Michael Chavis hit a solo shot.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)ARLINGTON, Texas – The Baby Braves were the Battered Braves in their first loss of these playoffs. The 15 runs allowed in the first three innings were more than the Braves permitted in their first seven postseason games combined. And those 13 previous runs included seven scored by Los Angeles in the final three innings of Atlanta's 8-7 win in Game 2. Wright gave up seven runs while getting just two outs after Atlanta starters allowed only five runs over 38 2/3 innings in the first seven playoff games. Bartolo Colon (seven runs) and Steve Reed (eight) did it with Cleveland in a 23-7 loss to Boston in Game 4 of the 1999 ALDS.

The Dodgers set franchise postseason records for runs and home runs with five, cutting their NLCS deficit to 2 games to 1. Winner Julio Urías, made his first postseason start and improved to 3-0 in these playoffs, striking out five while allowing one run and three hits over five innings. LOT OF BIG NUMBERSThe 15 runs matched the most in an NLCS game — the Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals 15-0 in Game 7 of the 1996 NLCS. ... Only the Chicago Cubs, with six in Game 3 of the 2015 NLDS, hit more homers in any postseason game. The Dodgers’ eight extra-base hits matched the franchise record for a postseason game, and their 18 total bases in the first were an MLB record for an inning.

The 11 runs came against the Atlanta Braves, who were also on the wrong side of matching the previous mark. They allowed 10 runs in the first inning in the deciding Game 5 of the NL Division Series against St. Louis last season. The slam by Muncy off reliever Grant Dayton was the third homer in the inning, matching another LCS record. Betts walked before Seager had an RBI single, Justin Turner was hit by a pitch and Muncy went deep. The Dodgers led 11-0 entering the second inning after center fielder Cody Bellinger robbed the Braves' Ozzie Albies with a leaping catch at the wall that stranded two runners in the bottom of the first.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was scratched from his scheduled Game 2 start Tuesday due to back spasms. The team still expects he'll be able to pitch later in the series, but it will be Urías in Game 3 against Braves rookie Kyle Wright. Urías, already pitching in his fourth postseason, was the winner in relief in the Game 3 clincher last Thursday against San Diego during the Division Series. There have been 14 teams take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven NLCS, and all have gone on to win the pennant. He’ll pitch in AL Championship Series Game 4 against Houston on four days’ rest.

Albies homered in the ninth for the second night in a row, and for the second time in a row the ball was caught in the bullpen by closer Mark Melancon. That solo shot proved huge for the Braves, who led 7-0 but near squandered the lead as the Dodgers scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth. Albies made a fielding error on Will Smith's grounder to second, and reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger hit an RBI triple. Game 3 is Wednesday night, with 24-year-old playoff veteran Julio Urías pitching for the Dodgers against Kyle Wright, another rookie right-hander for the Braves. There have been 14 teams take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven NLCS, and all have gone on to win the pennant.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)ARLINGTON, Texas – Those Baby Braves that faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs two years ago have grown up a little bit, and have even won a couple of postseason series. “We’re really, really strong. There will still be no fans for the AL Championship Series games in San Diego. That allotment sold out for Game 1 and three other NLCS games so far, as well as all every World Series game. SHORT HOPSBraves third base coach Ron Washington was manager of the Texas Rangers from 2007-14, including their only World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.

A look at what's happening around the majors today:___WINNER-TAKE-ALLYankees ace Gerrit Cole and towering Tampa Bay righty Tyler Glasnow will both pitch on short rest in the deciding Game 5 of their AL Division Series. Cole earned the victory in Game 1 despite allowing two home runs, and he’ll appear on three days’ rest after throwing 97 pitches. The 6-foot-8 Glasnow will be pitching on two days’ rest after striking out 10 in Game 2. “I haven’t really talked about innings or anything like that,” Glasnow said after New York won 5-1 Thursday to force Game 5. The Rays are trying to advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2008, when they made it to their only World Series.

Atlanta Braves players celebrate after defeating the Miami Marlins in Game 3 of a baseball National League Division Series, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, in Houston. And even those future Hall of Famers didn't throw the way these Braves have this postseason. Wright (1-0) was sharp despite not pitching since Sept. 25, allowing three hits and walking two with a career-high seven strikeouts. Atlanta became the second team in history to throw four shutouts in the first five playoff games, joining the 1905 New York Giants behind Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson and Joe McGinnity. D’Arnaud knocked a double off the bullpen in right-center to send two home and extend the lead to 3-0.

That average of 2.93 homers per postseason game tops the regular-season mark of 2.57. The Athletics and Astros combined to connect seven times as the A’s avoided a sweep with a 9-7 win. Houston will make another attempt to advance to its fourth consecutive ALCS in Game 4 on Thursday at Dodger Stadium. Kyle Wright will make his postseason debut when he starts against Miami rookie Sixto Sanchez as Atlanta aims to sweep the best-of-five NL Division Series. ESPN’s wild-card game averaged 5,591,000 to 7,604,000 from 2014-17.

Atlanta Braves' Dansby Swanson hits a home run during the second inning in Game 2 of a baseball National League Division Series against the Miami Marlins Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, in Houston. That was before the Yankees-Rays and Padres-Dodgers started their Division Series matchups. That average of 2.88 homers per postseason game tops the regular-season mark of 2.57. Kyle Wright will make his postseason debut when he starts against Miami rookie Sixto Sanchez as Atlanta aims to sweep the best-of-five NL Division Series. ESPN’s wild-card game averaged 5,591,000 to 7,604,000 from 2014-17.

Atlanta Braves' Ian Anderson delivers a pitch during the fourth inning in Game 2 of a baseball National League Division Series against the Miami Marlins Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, in Houston. Anderson blanked Miami into the sixth inning, Markakis made a nifty play in right field to help preserve the lead late, and the Braves threw another playoff shutout in a 2-0 victory Wednesday for a 2-0 lead in the NL Division Series. “It’s hard to bunch hits together, pitching is too good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. Miami manager Don Mattingly didn't fault Dickerson for being thrown out because he said Markakis could've dived to catch it. On a day when Atlanta got only four hits, Swanson and d’Arnaud provided the offense.

Atlanta Braves' Max Fried pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)The Atlanta Braves' season-long rotation woes continued Tuesday when Max Fried, the top healthy starter, was placed on the 10-day injured list. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Fried has a left-side muscle spasm in his lumbar spine. Anthopoulos said he hopes Fried can return from the IL as soon as he is eligible on Sept. 16. Anthopoulos said he hopes Culberson can be added to the team's camp at its alternate training site at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Miami Marlins players Lewis Brinson (25) Magneuris Sierra, center, and Jon Berti celebrate after the Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 8-2 in a baseball game, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)MIAMI Jesus Aguilar drove in three runs, Jon Berti stole home and the NL East-leading Miami Marlins won their long-awaited, coronavirus-delayed home opener, beating the Atlanta Braves 8-2 Friday night. Miami returned to Marlins Park following a 23-day road trip, interrupted when 18 players and two coaches tested positive for the virus. The Braves will be without All-Star center fielder Ronald Acua Jr. in the series while he recovers from a sore left wrist. Marlins: LHP Daniel Castano (0-1, 8.31) will make his second major league start Saturday.