Mitglieder » Stephen Strasburg did the Colorado Rockies an

DENVER (AP) —d their NL West title hopes no favors by shutting them down.The Washington Nationals may be doing the Rockies a big favor in scratching NL Cy Young candidate Max Scherzer from his start for the final game.At this point Justin Verlander Jersey , Colorado will take all the breaks it can get.The Rockies dropped into a tie with Los Angeles for the NL West lead with only one game left, routed by Strasburg, Juan Soto and the Nationals 12-2 Saturday night.Hoping to hold their one-game edge, the Rockies instead saw their winning streak end at eight. The Dodgers were 10-6 winners in San Francisco earlier, ensuring the race will go down to the wire.“It going to be fun. You’ve got to relish this moment,” Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado said. “Obviously, I wish we won the division weeks ago, but that’s not the position we’re in. We’re lucky to be in this position. We’re enjoying it and we’ll be ready to go.”With game No. 162 on deck, the Rockies (90-71) are attempting to accomplish something they’ve never done since entering the league in 1993: capture a division title. They thought for sure Sunday they were going to face Scherzer, who has a league-high 300 strikeouts this season. Instead, they’ll get little-known righty Erick Fedde.“We’re going to have to go out there and just try to play good baseball,” Carlos Gonzalez said.If Los Angeles and Colorado finish tied, there will be a one-game tiebreaker for the West title Monday at Dodger Stadium. The loser will become a wild card.Colorado celebrated earning a postseason spot Friday night, even breaking out the bubbly. But the team looked flat from the start as the Nationals grabbed an early 5-0 lead on Jon Gray (12-9) to zap the energy from a sellout crowd at Coors Field.Gray’s night started in a painful way when he was drilled in the back by a liner from Adam Eaton on the second pitch of the game. Gray remained on the mound, but was ineffective. He was tagged for five runs in two innings before being lifted for a pinch hitter.“It’s really frustrating for me. I’m sure it’s more frustrating for the fans Houston Astros Jersey ,” Gray said. “It’s been a rough year for me, but I can’t wait to prove everybody wrong and actually show them what I’m about.”Soto set the tone with a two-run double in the first and Trea Turner added a two-run homer an inning later.The 19-year-old Soto also lined a solo drive to right in the fifth. He has 22 homers this season, tying him with Bryce Harper (2012) for the second-most by a teenager. The record is 24 by Boston’s Tony Conigliaro in 1964.“I’m aware of records. I want to get them,” Soto said. “To have the records held by Hall of Famers.”Strasburg (10-7) effectively mixed his fastball with his change to hit double-digit wins for the fifth straight season. He struck out seven and allowed two runs on solo homers by Gonzalez and Arenado over six innings.“This is the way we wanted him to finish the season — to go into the offseason healthy and be looking ahead to next year,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said.The win assured the Nationals of finishing with a winning record for a seventh straight season.As for the Rockies, Gonzalez has some simple advice in regard to Saturday’s loss: Turn the page. Fast.“Whenever we face adversity, we’re pretty good at” bouncing back, Gonzalez said.TRAINER’S ROOMNationals: Martinez won’t take any risks with INF Ryan Zimmerman’s sore back. “The last thing I want to do is have him re-injure himself really bad and have to rehab for two months over the winter time,” Martinez said.THIS & THATWashington was able to keep Rockies OF David Dahl in the park, which has been no easy feat these days. Dahl’s streak of homering in five straight games was ended. … Turner is hitting .413 at Coors Field in nine career games, with five doubles, three triples and three homers.ROBLES’ REQUESTMartinez signed off on outfielder Victor Robles‘ desire to play winter ball. Robles missed time earlier this season with an elbow injury.“I told him don’t play the whole season” of winter ball, Martinez said. “Take it easy because you’re going to play a lot of baseball come 2019.”UP NEXTLHP Tyler Anderson (6-9, 4.76 ERA) is set to start for the Rockies. Scherzer (18-7, 2.53) had been expected to pitch for the Nationals http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , but it will be Fedde (2-3, 5.24). ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman put the Atlanta Braves ahead, then watched from first base as they almost give away the lead — and possibly their whole season.“My heart’s still pounding,” he said, moments after the last out. “That’s how we’ve been all year.”Reliever Arodys Vizcaino escaped his own jam in a nervy ninth inning and the Braves stopped the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 Sunday night, avoiding a sweep and cutting their deficit in the NL Division Series to 2-1.“I like our chances. We’ve got a uniform on, so we know we’ve got a chance,” Freeman said.Rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a grand slam that helped the Braves build an early 5-0 lead. After the Dodgers rallied to tie it, Freeman homered in the sixth.In the ninth, the Dodgers got runners on first and second with no outs after a single and a walk. Vizcaino came back from a 3-0 count to strike out slugger Max Muncy, and followed up by fanning Manny Machado on a wild pitch that moved the runners to second and third.Because the Braves had already used their allotment of six mound visits, no one could go out to talk with the Atlanta closer, to give him a moment to settle down.Not that he needed a break, apparently.With the entire crowd at SunTrust Park standing, chanting and chopping Hector Rondon Jersey , Vizcaino fanned a swinging Brian Dozier to end it.“Credit to our guys for fighting back,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “… We had our chances. And those guys made some pitches and got out of some traffic, but our guys stressed them, got on base, and gave ourselves an opportunity. But yeah, to take us over the top and take the lead again, we couldn’t get that one extra hit.”Game 4 is Monday afternoon at Atlanta.Shut out in the first two games at Dodger Stadium, the NL East champion Baby Braves bounced back.Acuna connected in the second, right after Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler walked Braves starter Sean Newcomb on four pitches with the bases loaded.“He continues to amaze,” Freeman said of Acuna. “I don’t think we needed or wanted anybody else in that situation.”Roberts stuck with Buehler, who allowed no baserunners in the next three innings.“It was good to see him recalibrate and give us five innings to at some point save our pen,” Roberts said.Buehler gave up five runs on only two hits and three walks in five innings.“This one is on me,” Buehler said, adding there is “no excuse for the second inning. … Sometimes you just lose it. I’m proud of the way I found the zone again after that and moving forward.”Freeman connected on the first pitch from former teammate Alex Wood to put Atlanta back on top.“Hopefully we’ll have some more big moments during this postseason and this isn’t the only one,” Freeman said. Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer and Muncy added a tying homer in the fifth to lead the comeback for Los Angeles.Tagged at the outset http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , Buehler regained control as the Dodgers began their rally. Newcomb was pulled after walking a pair of walks in the third and Justin Turner hit an RBI single off Kevin Gausman. Taylor also scored when Acuna bobbled the ball in left field for an error.Taylor connected off Gausman, and Muncy added a tying homer off Max Fried in the fifth.The Dodgers threatened in the sixth. Matt Kemp led off the inning with a double, but with one out was thrown out on shortstop Charlie Culberson’s throw to the plate.MICKEY WHO?At 20, Acuna became the youngest player to hit a postseason grand slam — Mickey Mantle was 21 when he did it for the New York Yankees in the 1953 World Series.Mantle? That’s a new name for Acuna.“No, I don’t recognize him,” he said through a translator. “I wasn’t even born.”NO SWEEP FOR YOULos Angeles was denied its second straight NLDS sweep after winning three straight over Arizona in 2017.RECORD ATTENDANCEThe attendance was 42,385, setting a SunTrust Park record in the second-year stadium’s first postseason game.UP NEXTThe Dodgers are expected to start LHP Rich Hill (11-5, 3.66) when the series continues on Monday. Hill pitched seven scoreless innings in an 8-2 win over Atlanta on July 26.The Braves will start RHP Mike Foltynewicz, who gave up four runs and three hits in two innings in Thursday night’s 6-0 Game 1 loss.“He’s raring to go and itching to get the ball, and it’s still elimination,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “So we’re going to try and go with the best we got.”