CHICAGO (AP) — Sean Kazmar Jr. grounded into a double play — and sounded overjoyed. “Definitely everything and then some,” he said. “What an amazing feeling.” While Kazmar and the Atlanta Braves lost to the Chicago Cubs 13-4, his pinch-hit appearance in the fifth inning marked the 36-year-old infielder's first major league game since Sept. 23, 2008, with the San Diego Padres — a span of 12 years, 6 months, 25 days. “Obviously wasn't the outcome we were looking for. A win would have been nice,” he said. “But what a good feeling — just last night when Snit told me and waking up and then getting that opportunity early in the game was awesome. But, again, yeah, man, amazing feeling, and hopefully stick around a little longer.” Kazmar was in his hotel room Friday night watching the Braves' game on television and realized his odds of a callup were getting better when Ender Inciarte injured a hamstring in the fourth inning and Ozzie Albies Jr. was hit on the right calf by Justin Steel's pitch... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Sean Kazmar Jr. grounded into a double play — and sounded overjoyed. “Definitely everything and then some,” he said. “What an amazing feeling.” While Kazmar and the Atlanta Braves lost to the Chicago Cubs 13-4, his pinch-hit appearance in the fifth inning marked the 36-year-old infielder's first major league game since Sept. 23, 2008, with the San Diego Padres — a span of 12 years, 6 months, 25 days. “Obviously wasn't the outcome we were looking for. A win would have been nice,” he said. “But what a good feeling — just last night when Snit told me and waking up and then getting that opportunity early in the game was awesome. But, again, yeah, man, amazing feeling, and hopefully stick around a little longer.” Kazmar was in his hotel room Saturday night watching the Braves' game on television and realized his odds of a callup were getting better when Ender Inciarte injured a hamstring in the fourth inning and Ozzie Albies Jr. was hit on the right calf by Justin Steel's pitch... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Sean Kazmar Jr. grounded into a double play — and sounded overjoyed. “Definitely everything and then some,” he said. “What an amazing feeling.” While Kazmar and the Atlanta Braves lost to the Chicago Cubs 13-4, his pinch-hit appearance in the fifth inning marked the 36-year-old infielder's first major league game since Sept. 23, 2008, with the San Diego Padres — a span of 12 years, 6 months, 25 days. “Obviously wasn't the outcome we were looking for. A win would have been nice,” he said. “But what a good feeling — just last night when Snit told me and waking up and then getting that opportunity early in the game was awesome. But, again, yeah, man, amazing feeling, and hopefully stick around a little longer.” Kazmar was in his hotel room Saturday night watching the Braves' game on television and realized his odds of a callup were getting better when Ender Inciarte injured a hamstring in the fourth inning and Ozzie Albies Jr. was hit on the right calf by Justin Steel's pitch... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Sean Kazmar Jr. returned to the major leagues after an 13-year absence, pinch hitting for the Atlanta Braves and grounding into a double play on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. The 36-year-old infielder's contract was selected by the Braves from their alternate training site before the game. He pinch hit in the fifth inning grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Kazmar had not played in the major leagues on Sept. 23, 2008, with the San Diego Padres. He appeared in 19 games that season for his only previous major league action, and had since played in Triple-A for the Padres, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets and Braves, plus Double-A for the Mets — a total of 1,106 minor league games, “That was probably one of the greatest moments I’ve had as a manager at all the levels, quite honestly,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of informing Kazmar of his return. “It’s amazing. You go from ’08 to 2021, in between, you’ve got to be kidding me, to have the perseverance and the dedication... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Atlanta Braves placed 36-year-old infielder Sean Kazmar Jr. on the active roster on Saturday, a move that put a big smile on the face of manager Brian Snitker. And for good reason. Kazmar hasn't played in the major leagues in more than a decade. “That was probably one of the greatest moments I’ve had as a manager at all the levels, quite honestly,” Snitker said of informing Kazmar of his return. “It’s amazing. You go from ’08 to 2021, in between, you’ve got to be kidding me, to have the perseverance and the dedication and the drive.” Kazmar last played in the major leagues on Sept. 23, 2008 with the San Diego Padres, appearing in 19 games that season for his only major league action. He has since played in Triple-A for the Padres, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets and Braves. The most recent player with a bigger gap between major league appearances was right-hander Ralph Winegarner, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Winegarner played on June 23, 1936 for the Cleveland Indians... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against deGrom in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight during one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against him in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight in one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro followed... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against him in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight in one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro followed... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against him in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight in one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro followed... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against him in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight in one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro followed... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against him in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight in one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro followed... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have placed right-hander Chris Martin on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. The move on Saturday, retroactive to Wednesday, came after Martin's workout on Friday showed ongoing problems. He complained of numbness in his fingers and was forced to leave a relief appearance Sunday at Philadelphia. “He just had some discomfort still,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Saturday. “... It wasn’t going to work so we had to shut him down for a period.” When asked if Martin's shoulder is the problem, Snitker said, “When he went and tried to throw yesterday, all of a sudden it became a concern. We were hoping yesterday was going to go good.” Martin had been expected to join left-hander Will Smith at the back of Atlanta's bullpen. Martin allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings and had one save in 19 games in 2020. Snitker said A.J. Minter, Tyler Matzek and Sean Newcomb could be used with Smith in “tough” innings. “We’ve got a lot of options and in situations like this guys are going to get opportunity to show us what they can do,” Snitker said. The Braves recalled right-hander Jacob Webb from the team's alternate training site for Saturday night's game against the Phillies. Webb threw 10 scoreless innings in eight appearances in 2020. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Atlanta pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval drove a two-run homer to the deepest part of the ballpark off a Washington reliever who took over after Stephen Strasburg’s six scoreless innings Wednesday, lifting the Braves to a 2-0 victory over the Nationals and a doubleheader sweep. Sandoval drove a 96 mph fastball from Tanner Rainey (0-1) more than 400 feet following Dansby Swanson’s two-out single in the seventh and final inning. Luke Jackson (1-0) earned the win in Game 2, and Sean Newcomb got three strikeouts for the save. Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled and had a pair of singles as Atlanta won the opener 7-6. The Braves put up five runs in the second inning off Erick Fedde (0-1), then wound up barely holding on with a save by Will Smith. Andrew Stevenson grounded into a game-ending double play. Josh Tomlin (1-0) pitched two hitless innings. Washington is missing nine players because of a coronavirus outbreak that led to the postponement of the team’s first four games. Four players... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Atlanta pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval drove a two-run homer to the deepest part of the ballpark off a Washington reliever who took over after Stephen Strasburg’s six scoreless innings Wednesday, lifting the Braves to a 2-0 victory over the Nationals and a doubleheader sweep. Sandoval drove a 96 mph fastball from Tanner Rainey (0-1) more than 400 feet following Dansby Swanson’s two-out single in the seventh and final inning. Luke Jackson (1-0) earned the win in Game 2, and Sean Newcomb got three strikeouts for the save. Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled and had a pair of singles as Atlanta won the opener 7-6. The Braves put up five runs in the second inning off Erick Fedde (0-1), then wound up barely holding on with a save by Will Smith. Andrew Stevenson grounded into a game-ending double play. Josh Tomlin (1-0) pitched two hitless innings. Washington is missing nine players because of a coronavirus outbreak that led to the postponement of the team’s first four games. Four players... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Atlanta pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval drove a two-run homer to the deepest part of the ballpark off a Washington reliever who took over after Stephen Strasburg’s six scoreless innings Wednesday, lifting the Braves to a 2-0 victory over the Nationals and a doubleheader sweep. Sandoval drove a 96 mph fastball from Tanner Rainey (0-1) more than 400 feet following Dansby Swanson’s two-out single in the seventh and final inning. Luke Jackson (1-0) earned the win in Game 2, and Sean Newcomb got three strikeouts for the save.. Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled and had a pair of singles as Atlanta won the opener 7-6. The Braves put up five runs in the second inning off Erick Fedde (0-1), then wound up barely holding on with a save by Will Smith. Andrew Stevenson grounded into a game-ending double play. Josh Tomlin (1-0) pitched two hitless innings. Washington is missing nine players because of a coronavirus outbreak that led to the postponement of the team’s first four games. Four players... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Atlanta pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval drove a two-run homer to the deepest part of the ballpark off a Washington reliever who took over after Stephen Strasburg’s six scoreless innings Wednesday, lifting the Braves to a 2-0 victory over the Nationals and a doubleheader sweep. Sandoval drove a 96 mph fastball from Tanner Rainey (0-1) more than 400 feet following Dansby Swanson’s two-out single in the seventh and final inning. Luke Jackson (1-0) earned the win in Game 2, and Sean Newcomb got three strikeouts for the save.. Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled and had a pair of singles as Atlanta won the opener 7-6. The Braves put up five runs in the second inning off Erick Fedde (0-1), then wound up barely holding on with a save by Will Smith. Andrew Stevenson grounded into a game-ending double play. Josh Tomlin (1-0) pitched two hitless innings. Washington is missing nine players because of a coronavirus outbreak that led to the postponement of the team’s first four games. Four players... [More]

.ATLANTA (AP) — Kung Fu Panda has made the opening day roster for the Atlanta Braves. The team made a flurry of moves Saturday to complete its 26-man group, most notably promoting nonroster infielder Pablo Sandoval to the big league roster. The 34-year-old Sandoval is a two-time All-Star and 2012 World Series MVP looking to revive his career in a bench role with the Braves. The portly switch-hitter earned his spot with a strong spring, hitting .429 with four RBIs in 35 at-bats. “Pablo speaks for himself, just the way he comes in, his professionalism, what he adds in clubhouse, the presence has, the respect he has from everybody,” manager Brian Snitker said. “And he can still hit. He's kind of what you're looking for. He’s a guy who can sit around and stay ready.” The Braves, who open the season Thursday at Philadelphia, also selected the contracts of two other nonroster players: infielder Ehire Adrianza and reliever Nate Jones. Former All-Stars Jake Lamb and Jason Kipnis were released,... [More]

Mike Soroka isn't considering a cautious approach to his comeback from a torn Achilles tendon after throwing on the opening day of the Atlanta Braves' spring training. “Really, on the mound I am ready to compete,” Soroka said, adding “I feel amazing.” Soroka was the Braves' 2020 opening day starter before tearing his right Achilles tendon in his third start of the season. The right-hander needed surgery before beginning his recovery with the goal of being ready to open the 2021 season. Braves pitchers and catchers had their first workout on Thursday in North Port, Florida. Manager Brian Snitker said Soroka “looked really good” while throwing. Soroka said his arm feels as strong as normal for the start of spring. The question, of course, is the health of Soroka's right leg. He said the Achilles tendon is strong, but he acknowledged he still has to build up the strength in his calf, knee and hip. Even so, Soroka had a quick response when asked if it would be smart to avoid trying to be ready... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — There were pained admissions of heartbreak and declarations of hope from players and manager Brian Snitker after the Atlanta Braves fell one win shy of the World Series. The heartbreak was obvious after a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday night. The Braves led the series 3-1. They held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in the decisive game and still were denied their first World Series appearance since 1999. “I hate that,” Snitker said. “I want to go to the World Series so bad.” Freddie Freeman offered a balanced perspective when he spoke of the pain of the present and the promise of the future. “It hurts right now, it really does,” Freeman said. “This moment (stinks), but the Atlanta Braves organization is set up for success for a very long time. This group of guys we have this year is the start of something special.” The hope is bolstered by the emergence of young starting pitchers Ian Anderson, Kyle Wright and Bryse Wilson. The three... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — After making just one start for the Atlanta Braves, Cole Hamels went back on the 10-day injured list Monday and is done for the season. Hamels reported shortly before the start of a four-game series against the Miami Marlins that he just didn't feel like he could get anything on the ball. He was scheduled to make his second start Tuesday after struggling throughout the year to overcome shoulder and triceps issues. “Cole knows himself and his body,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “You trust the player at that point when he says he can't go.” The Braves began Monday with a three-game lead in the NL East .and primed for their third straight division title. Even with that success, Atlanta has struggled throughout the shortened 60-game series to put together a consistent rotation beyond Cy Young contender Max Fried and rookie Ian Anderson. Expected ace Mike Soroka went down with a season-ending injury, former All-Star Mike Foltynewicz was demoted after just one start,... [More]