Braves third. Adam Duvall singles to left field. Austin Riley doubles to deep left field. Adam Duvall to third. Adeiny Hechavarria reaches on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Ronald Acuna Jr. walks. Adeiny Hechavarria to second. Austin Riley to third. Adam Duvall scores. Dansby Swanson strikes out swinging. Freddie Freeman grounds out to shallow infield, Amed Rosario to Pete Alonso. Ronald Acuna Jr. to second. Adeiny Hechavarria to third. Austin Riley scores. Marcell Ozuna grounds out to shallow infield, Robinson Cano to Pete Alonso.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Braves 2, Mets 0.Braves fourth. Travis d'Arnaud grounds out to shallow left field, Amed Rosario to Pete Alonso. Johan Camargo homers to left field. Adam Duvall doubles to deep center field. Austin Riley strikes out swinging. Adeiny Hechavarria strikes out on a foul tip.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Braves 3, Mets 0.Braves eighth. Ronald Acuna Jr. doubles to deep right center field. Dansby Swanson grounds out to shallow infield, Drew Smith to Pete Alonso. Freddie Freeman singles to deep right field. Ronald Acuna Jr. scores. Marcell Ozuna flies out to right field to Michael Conforto. Travis d'Arnaud flies out to right field to Michael Conforto.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Braves 4, Mets 0.

Braves first. Ronald Acuna Jr. strikes out swinging. Dansby Swanson grounds out to shortstop, Amed Rosario to Pete Alonso. Freddie Freeman singles to right center field. Marcell Ozuna singles to shallow infield. Freddie Freeman to second. Matt Adams singles to shortstop. Marcell Ozuna to third. Freddie Freeman scores. Travis d'Arnaud singles to center field. Matt Adams to second. Marcell Ozuna scores. Austin Riley grounds out to shallow infield, Amed Rosario to Pete Alonso.2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Braves 2, Mets 0.Mets fourth. Brandon Nimmo called out on strikes. Pete Alonso walks. J.D. Davis homers to center field. Pete Alonso scores. Michael Conforto lines out to left center field to Ender Inciarte. Yoenis Cespedes lines out to shallow infield to Marcell Ozuna.2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Mets 2, Braves 2.Mets fifth. Robinson Cano homers to right field. Wilson Ramos singles to right field. Andres Gimenez singles to shallow infield. Wilson Ramos to second. Amed Rosario... [More]

Braves third. Ronald Acuna Jr. singles to right field. Ozzie Albies grounds out to shallow infield to Yandy Diaz. Ronald Acuna Jr. to second. Freddie Freeman homers to right field. Ronald Acuna Jr. scores. Marcell Ozuna singles to left field. Matt Adams lines out to center field to Kevin Kiermaier. Travis d'Arnaud called out on strikes.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Braves 2, Rays 0.Rays fifth. Kevin Kiermaier grounds out to shallow infield, Ozzie Albies to Freddie Freeman. Hunter Renfroe grounds out to shallow left field, Austin Riley to Freddie Freeman. Willy Adames singles to right field. Mike Zunino walks. Willy Adames to second. Brandon Lowe strikes out swinging.1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left on. Braves 2, Rays 1.Rays sixth. Joey Wendle singles to deep center field. Yandy Diaz walks. Joey Wendle to second. Yoshi Tsutsugo strikes out swinging. Manuel Margot flies out to deep left field to Marcell Ozuna. Kevin Kiermaier singles to center field, advances to 2nd. Yandy Diaz to third.... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Nick Markakis is returning to the Atlanta Braves, three weeks after announcing he was opting out of the season due to his concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.Markakis, the veteran outfielder who is in his sixth season with Atlanta, said Wednesday he changed his mind about sitting out after watching his teammates play the first five games.“Sitting at home, watching these guys compete ... and all the risks they’re going through going out there, in the pit of my stomach I felt I wanted to be out there,” Markakis said.He said he realized returning was possible following a phone call from Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos earlier this week.The 36-year-old Markakis earns $24,691 for each game he on the roster or injured list as part of a $4 million, one-year contract. He says he has the full support of his family, including his three children, in his decision to return.“It was nice to be home with the family, but more than anything I know my family wanted me to be out... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Nick Markakis is returning to the Atlanta Braves, three weeks after announcing he was opting out of the season due to his concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.Markakis, the veteran outfielder who is in his sixth season with Atlanta, said Wednesday he changed his mind about sitting out after watching his teammates play the first five games.“Sitting at home, watching these guys compete ... and all the risks they’re going through going out there, in the pit of my stomach I felt I wanted to be out there,” Markakis said.He said he realized returning was possible following a phone call from Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos earlier this week.The 36-year-old Markakis says he has the full support of his family, including his three children, in his decision to return.“It was nice to be home with the family, but more than anything I know my family wanted me to be out there with (the Braves),” he said.Markakis opted out on July 6, when he said he was uneasy about playing the... [More]

The Atlanta Braves will be without their top two catchers, Tyler Flowers and Travis d'Arnaud, for Friday's opening game at the New York Mets after both players showed symptoms of the coronavirus.Manager Brian Snitker said Friday that Flowers and d'Arnaud have tested negative for the coronavirus but did not travel with the team because they had symptoms. Snitker said he did not know what the symptoms were, and he hoped the two just had “a bad cold." Snitker said the team is being careful because “we’ve had guys test negative and the next day they test positive." First baseman Freddie Freeman and right-hander Touki Toussaint are back with the team and on the opening-day roster after testing positive at the start of summer camp. Left-handed reliever Will Smith and infielder Pete Kozma have not returned following positive tests.Freeman said he was grateful Flowers and Contreras reported the symptoms even though it meant they would miss the opener and possibly more games.“I applaud them for... [More]

The Atlanta Braves will be without their top two catchers, Tyler Flowers and Travis d'Arnaud, for Friday's opening game at the New York Mets after both players showed symptoms of the coronavirus.Manager Brian Snitker said Friday that Flowers and d'Arnaud have tested negative for the coronavirus but did not travel with the team because they had symptoms. Snitker said he did not know what the symptoms were, and he hoped the two just had “a bad cold." Snitker said the team is being careful because “we’ve had guys test negative and the next day they test positive." First baseman Freddie Freeman and right-hander Touki Toussaint are back with the team and on the opening-day roster after testing positive at the start of summer camp. Left-handed reliever Will Smith and infielder Pete Kozma have not returned following positive tests.Freeman said he was grateful Flowers and Contreras reported the symptoms even though it meant they would miss the opener and possibly more games.“I applaud them for... [More]

The Atlanta Braves will be without their top two catchers, Tyler Flowers and Travis d'Arnaud, for Friday's opening game at the New York Mets after both players showed symptoms of the coronavirus.Manager Brian Snitker said Friday that Flowers and d'Arnaud have tested negative for the coronavirus but did not travel with the team because they had symptoms. Snitker said he did not know what the symptoms were, and he hoped the two just had “a bad cold." Snitker said the team is being careful because “we’ve had guys test negative and the next day they test positive." First baseman Freddie Freeman and right-hander Touki Toussaint are back with the team and on the opening-day roster after testing positive at the start of summer camp. Left-handed reliever Will Smith and infielder Pete Kozma have not returned following positive tests.Snitker said the team was trying to avoid contact between the catchers and other players in case they do have positive tests.Alex Jackson and William Contreras are next... [More]

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — When Sal Fasano managed the Double-A New Hampshire Blue Jays in 2011, he quickly saw how well one of his catchers talked with the pitchers. Travis d’Arnaud. Just 22, he sounded much older.As a former catcher who played in 427 major-league games, Fasano noted how well d’Arnaud did one-on-one with each pitcher. He not only listened to what the pitchers said but he watched their body language. He also tried to get a working idea of what they wanted to accomplish before using trial-and-error to keep progressing, keep getting better.“First thing I noticed,” Fasano said. “It’s always been his gift to me – his personal communication.”Fast forward to 2020 and d’Arnaud and Fasano have reunited.The Braves signed d'Arnaud, who played 92 games last season with the Tampa Bay Rays, to a two-year, $16 million contract. After an 11-year career in the majors and nine more in the minors, many of those as a manger, Fasano came to the Braves in 2019 as a catching instructor.In the first... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League East entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Atlanta Braves Manager: Brian Snitker (fifth season). 2019: 97-65, first place, lost to Cardinals in Division Series.Training Town: North Port, Florida.Park: CoolToday Park. First Workout: Feb. 13/18. He's Here: LF Marcell Ozuna, C Travis d'Arnaud, LHP Cole Hamels, LHP Will Smith, RHP F�lix Hern�ndez.He's Outta Here: 3B Josh Donaldson, LHP Dallas Keuchel, RHP Julio Teheran, C Brian McCann, OF Matt Joyce, RHP Anthony Swarzak, RHP Josh Tomlin, LHP Jerry Blevins, OF Billy Hamilton, C Francisco Cervelli. Going campin': The Braves are coming off their second straight NL East title, led by one of baseball's brightest young stars. In his first full season in the big leagues, 22-year-old OF Ronald Acu�a Jr. hit 41 homers, led the league with 127 runs and tallied 37 stolen bases to become the second-youngest... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves found their new cleanup hitter when then reached an agreement with free agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna on an $18 million, one-year deal Tuesday.Ozuna joins the team he helped beat in the playoffs last October. He hit .429 with two home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in their five-game win over the Braves in the NL Division Series.“We just focused on the player we thought was the best fit here,” Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “We were looking for a middle of the order bat.”The 29-year-old Ozuna hit .241 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs last season. His low batting average was something on an oddity because he ranked among the major league leaders in the highest percentage of hard-hit balls, according to Statcast.Ozuna will be the probable choice to fill the fourth spot in the Braves lineup that was left vacant when third baseman Josh Donaldson signed a $92 million, four-year deal with Minnesota.“The projection is he will bat cleanup for us,... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Alex Anthopoulos believes Cole Hamels can help the Atlanta Braves win big in next season— and help the team's young starters have more success for years to come.Hamels, who turns 36 this month. agreed Wednesday to an $18 million, one-year contract with the busy Braves, one of the more active teams this offseason.Anthopoulos said young Braves starters Max Fried and Mike Soroka will benefit from Hamels' 14 seasons in the majors.“How you quantify that is hard, but I think there is real value," Anthopoulos said. “We're signing Cole first and foremost because we think he's going to help us win a lot of games ... and hopefully get to the World Series. No doubt in my mind ... I think Max Fried will get better just be seeing him and being around him. I think Soroka will get better."The Braves have won two straight NL East division titles but failed to win a playoff series.Hamels said the Braves “were one of six teams I was really following and really rooting for" in free agency.... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Left-hander Cole Hamels agreed to an $18 million, one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves, one of the more active teams of the offseason.The 35-year-old gives the Braves a veteran to replace Julio Teheran, who became a free agent after his $12 million team option was declined.Hamels joins Mike Soroka, 22, Max Fried, 25 and Mike Foltynewicz, 28, as the Braves'probable top four starters. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said recently that left-hander Sean Newcomb, who spent most of the 2019 season in the bullpen, will be given a chance to win a starting job in spring training.Among other contenders for the final spot in the rotation will be Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson and Ian Anderson, one of the team's top prospects.Hamels spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Cubs, going 7-7 with a 3.81 ERA in 27 starts last season. Hamels has 163 wins and a 3.42 ERA in 14 seasons. He began his career with Philadelphia, where he was a three-time All-Star in 10 seasons.He finished... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are disappointed, though hardly discouraged.The overachieving franchise with baseball's smallest payroll returned home from losing to the Houston Astros in the AL Division Series confident that getting its first taste of postseason success since 2013 will make it stronger moving forward."We would have loved to be World Series champs, but reaching the ALDS for the first time in six years is a right step forward," defensive whiz Kevin Kiermaier said."You hate seeing it end right now, but at the same time, you think about Day 1 spring training, we accomplished most of our goals," the center fielder added. "We didn't finish where we wanted to, but at the same time ... what a fun year."After compiling the best record among major league teams failing to make the playoffs in 2018, the Rays improved from 90 to 96 victories this season to make the playoffs for the fifth time in club history. They beat Oakland in last week's wild-card game, then survived... [More]

Rays first. Austin Meadows strikes out swinging. Tommy Pham homers to center field. Ji-Man Choi walks. Avisail Garcia singles to left field. Ji-Man Choi to second. Brandon Lowe flies out to shallow left field to Michael Brantley. Travis d'Arnaud singles to left field. Avisail Garcia to second. Ji-Man Choi scores. Joey Wendle doubles to deep right field. Travis d'Arnaud to third. Avisail Garcia scores. Kevin Kiermaier strikes out swinging.3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Rays 3, Astros 0.Rays fourth. Willy Adames homers to center field. Austin Meadows strikes out swinging. Tommy Pham lines out to left field to Michael Brantley. Ji-Man Choi walks. Avisail Garcia singles to shallow center field. Ji-Man Choi to second. Brandon Lowe strikes out swinging.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Rays 4, Astros 0.Astros eighth. Carlos Correa grounds out to second base, Brandon Lowe to Ji-Man Choi. Aledmys Diaz pinch-hitting for Josh Reddick. Aledmys Diaz strikes out on a foul tip. Robinson Chirinos homers to center field. George Springer flies out to deep center field to Kevin Kiermaier.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Rays 4, Astros 1.

Astros first. George Springer grounds out to shortstop, Willy Adames to Ji-Man Choi. Jose Altuve homers to center field. Michael Brantley strikes out swinging. Alex Bregman walks. Yordan Alvarez reaches on error to shortstop, advances to 2nd. Alex Bregman to third. Throwing error by Yandy Diaz. Yuli Gurriel pops out to shallow center field to Brandon Lowe.1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 left on. Astros 1, Rays 0.Rays second. Ji-Man Choi grounds out to shallow right field, Jose Altuve to Yuli Gurriel. Avisail Garcia singles to center field. Brandon Lowe grounds out to second base, Jose Altuve to Yuli Gurriel. Avisail Garcia to second. Travis d'Arnaud hit by pitch. Kevin Kiermaier homers to center field. Travis d'Arnaud scores. Avisail Garcia scores. Willy Adames doubles to deep right center field. Matt Duffy pinch-hitting for Yandy Diaz. Matt Duffy grounds out to shallow infield, Zack Greinke to Yuli Gurriel.3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Rays 3, Astros 1.Rays third. Austin Meadows strikes... [More]

Astros fourth. Alex Bregman homers to center field. Yordan Alvarez strikes out swinging. Yuli Gurriel grounds out to first base, Ji-Man Choi to Diego Castillo. Carlos Correa grounds out to shallow infield, Diego Castillo to Ji-Man Choi.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Astros 1, Rays 0.Astros seventh. Yuli Gurriel reaches on error. Throwing error by Willy Adames. Carlos Correa doubles to deep left field. Yuli Gurriel to third. Kyle Tucker grounds out to shallow infield, Emilio Pagan to Ji-Man Choi. Martin Maldonado singles to left center field. Carlos Correa to third. Yuli Gurriel scores. George Springer pops out to shallow right field to Brandon Lowe. Jose Altuve flies out to deep right field to Avisail Garcia.1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 left on. Astros 2, Rays 0.Astros eighth. Michael Brantley pops out to Yandy Diaz. Alex Bregman singles to third base. Yordan Alvarez singles to right field. Alex Bregman to second. Yuli Gurriel flies out to deep right field to Avisail Garcia. Alex Bregman... [More]

Astros fifth. Josh Reddick walks. George Springer called out on strikes. Jose Altuve homers to left field. Josh Reddick scores. Michael Brantley singles to right field. Alex Bregman doubles to deep left field. Michael Brantley to third. Yordan Alvarez strikes out swinging. Yuli Gurriel reaches on error. Alex Bregman scores. Michael Brantley scores. Fielding error by Brandon Lowe. Carlos Correa called out on strikes.4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 left on. Astros 4, Rays 0.Astros seventh. Jose Altuve lines out to left field to Tommy Pham. Michael Brantley called out on strikes. Alex Bregman walks. Yordan Alvarez doubles to right center field. Alex Bregman scores. Yuli Gurriel doubles to right field. Yordan Alvarez scores. Carlos Correa called out on strikes.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Astros 6, Rays 0.Rays eighth. Travis d'Arnaud lines out to right field to George Springer. Joey Wendle singles to left field. Kevin Kiermaier grounds out to second base, Carlos Correa to Yuli Gurriel. Joey Wendle to second. Eric Sogard pinch-hitting for Willy Adames. Eric Sogard singles to left field. Joey Wendle scores. Austin Meadows doubles to deep right center field. Eric Sogard scores. Tommy Pham singles to shallow infield. Austin Meadows to third. Ji-Man Choi grounds out to third base, Alex Bregman to Yuli Gurriel.2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Astros 6, Rays 2.

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Houston, 2:05 p.m. (FS1); Game 2, Saturday, at Houston, 9:07 p.m. (FS1); Game 3, Monday, Oct. 7, at Tampa Bay, TBA (MLB); x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Tampa Bay, TBA (FS1); x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 10, at Houston, TBA (FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Rays won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Rays: 2B Joey Wendle (.231, 3 HRs, 19 RBIs in 75 games), LF Tommy Pham (.273, 21, 68, 33 2Bs), RF Austin Meadows (.291, 33, 89 in 138 games), C Travis d'Arnaud (.263, 16, 67 in 92 games with Rays; .087, 0, 2 in 10 games with Mets, and 1 at-bat in only game with Dodgers), 1B Ji-Man Choi (.261, 19, 63) or Yandy D�az (.267, 14, 38, .816 OPS in 79 games), DH Brandon Lowe (.270, 17, 51 in 82 games) or Avisail Garcia (.282, 20, 72, 25 2Bs in 125 games), 3B Matt Duffy (.252, 1, 12 in 46 games), CF Kevin Kiermaier (.228, 14, 55, 19 SBs in 129 games), SS Willy... [More]

Rays first. Yandy Diaz homers to center field. Tommy Pham called out on strikes. Austin Meadows strikes out swinging. Travis d'Arnaud strikes out swinging.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Rays 1, Athletics 0.Rays second. Matt Duffy singles to shortstop. Avisail Garcia homers to center field. Matt Duffy scores. Willy Adames grounds out to shortstop, Marcus Semien to Matt Olson. Kevin Kiermaier strikes out swinging. Mike Brosseau called out on strikes.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Rays 3, Athletics 0.Rays third. Yandy Diaz homers to center field. Tommy Pham singles to center field. Austin Meadows strikes out swinging. Travis d'Arnaud flies out to deep center field to Mark Canha. Brandon Lowe pinch-hitting for Matt Duffy. Brandon Lowe grounds out to first base to Matt Olson.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Rays 4, Athletics 0.Athletics third. Marcus Semien reaches on error to third base, advances to 3rd. Throwing error by Mike Brosseau. Ramon Laureano out on a sacrifice fly to... [More]