Only for Guild Members » Rockies will counter with Tyler Anderson

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. loves being a spark at the top of the Braves‘ batting order.“It’s part of my personality and the kind of baseball player that I am Paul Molitor Jersey ,” he said through a translator. “That’s the energy I try to bring. The energy is contagious, and I just try to make sure I bring it out there and help everyone win in that way.”Acuna hit his seventh leadoff homer of the season and scored the tiebreaking run in a four-run eighth inning to help NL East-leading Atlanta beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Sunday.The 20-year-old Acuna singled off Steven Brault to begin the eighth, advanced on a bunt and scored from second on a headfirst slide after second baseman Kevin Newman errantly let Freddie Freeman’s hard grounder bounce between his legs and roll into shallow right field.Acuna’s first-inning shot was his 23rd overall and tied the franchise record for leadoff homers that Marquis Grissom set in 1996.The Braves increased their division lead over Philadelphia to four games.Ozzie Albies kept the eighth going, chasing Brault (5-3) with an RBI single to leave the bases loaded. Dovydas Neverauskas’ wild pitch to Dansby Swanson added another run, and Swanson singled to make it a four-run lead.Julio Teheran pitched seven strong innings for Atlanta, giving up four hits, one run and two walks. He struck out five and has a 1.10 ERA in his last five starts.Jonny Venters (4-1) got the last out of the Pirates’ eighth to earn a win in relief for the second straight game.Brault allowed four hits, one walk and three runs — one earned — in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two.Acuna went 3 for 4. The dazzling rookie is hitting .346 with 16 homers, 31 RBIs and 36 runs scored in 42 games since he was moved to the leadoff spot. His homer on Nick Kingham’s second pitch glanced off the third-level scoreboard facade in left field.“I’m just trying to do my part by coming out with the same energy and enthusiasm and thankfully the results have been good,” Acuna said.Kingham took the rotation spot of Ivan Nova, who is away for personal reasons, and gave up four hits and one run with four strikeouts in five innings. He did not issue a walk for the first time in his last 12 starts.“He settled in, changed speeds http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-tony-oliva-jersey , efficient with his pitches,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “It was a good outing.”The Pirates have scored just 46 runs since Aug. 12, the fewest in the majors over that span. They went ahead in the first when Teheran issued a pair of two-out walks and Colin Moran had an RBI single.It didn’t take long for Acuna to tie it.“Every time he steps in the box in the first inning it’s like the biggest thing for us,” Teheran said. “You never know when he’s going to hit a homer, but in his first at-bat it’s like he’s got everyone’s attention, and we’re waiting for that big swing.”DREAM OPPORTUNITYRHP Touki Toussaint will make his second career start when Atlanta begins a three-game series Monday against Boston.Toussaint was chosen over fellow prospects Bryse Wilson and Kyle Wright after pitching at least six innings and allowing one earned run in winning his last three starts at Triple-A Gwinnett.The Red Sox lead the majors with 94 wins, are 50 games over .500 and rank first in the majors in runs scored, batting average and slugging percentage. It will be a big jump in competition after the Haitian-American Toussaint won his debut against the struggling Miami Marlins last month.“You dream of this as a little kid,” Toussaint said. “You want to be in the World Series pitching against the best.”HE’S BACKThe Braves announced during the game that they have reacquired OF Preston Tucker from Cincinnati for cash considerations. Tucker was dealt to the Reds on July 30 in the trade that brought OF Adam Duvall to Atlanta. Duvall, who struck out as a pinch-hitter to strand two runners in scoring position in the seventh, is batting .103 with no RBIs in 25 games with the Braves.TRAINER’S ROOMAtlanta RHPs Arodys Vizcaino, sidelined 53 games with right shoulder inflammation, and Jose Ramirez http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-kent-hrbek-jersey , sidelined 120 games with the same diagnosis, will begin rehab assignments Monday at Gwinnett and then appear Tuesday at Single-A Rome.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Trevor Williams (11-9, 3.30 ERA) will face Matt Harvey (6-7, 4.97) as Pittsburgh opens a three-game series against Cincinnati. Williams has gone 4-2 with a 0.84 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break.Braves: Toussaint (1-0, 1.50 ERA) will make his second career start as Atlanta opens a three-game home series against Boston. Nathan Eovaldi (5-7, 4.35) pitches for the Red Sox. DENVER (AP) — Kyle Freeland was a 14-year-old Rockies fan when Colorado made its improbable run to the 2007 World Series.Eleven years later, he has gone from fanatical follower to a reason the franchise is in the hunt for its first division title.Freeland pitched six strong innings, Wade Davis worked out of a ninth-inning jam and the Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Saturday night to remain atop the NL West.The Rockies are 6-1 in September, evoking memories of Rocktober 11 years ago when Freeland, born and raised in Denver, was in middle school.“I remember it like it was yesterday. I think about it quite a bit, something that was very special to me,” he said. “Even though I wasn’t part of the organization Kennys Vargas Jersey , I was part of the city and it holds a special place in my heart, being here and being a part of this team that has a chance to do something special like that again.”Chris Iannetta and Charlie Blackmon homered for Colorado, and Davis allowed a run before striking out Yasmani Grandal with a man aboard to finish his 39th save.Colorado moved 1 1/2 games ahead the second-place Dodgers. The Rockies are alone in first place after August for the first time since 1995 and have never won a division title.Chris Taylor homered for Los Angeles, which made it interesting in the ninth. Max Muncy hit an RBI double with two outs before Davis struck out Grandal looking.The Dodgers have scored three or fewer runs in seven of their last nine games.“Offensively, we just can’t get synced up,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think the at-bats are there. It’s just the results aren’t there.”Freeland (14-7) had something to do with that in his career-high 28th start. He lowered his ERA to 2.91 with another strong outing against a lineup of all right-handed hitters. He allowed one run and four hits and struck out eight for his seventh consecutive quality start and 20th of the season.With three weeks left in the season, he has a chance to record the best ERA ever by a Rockies starter. Ubaldo Jimenez’s 2.88 ERA in 2010 is the lowest in franchise history.Freeland has a 2.99 career ERA at Coors Field, the lowest in the park’s history among pitchers with 50 innings.“I think you saw what we’ve seen from Kyle all year,” manager Bud Black said. “He pitched outstanding.”Iannetta gave Colorado a 1-0 lead with his 10th homer leading off the second against Walker Buehler (6-5). Ian Desmond drove in David Dahl with a single in the third and Blackmon hit a two-run shot in the fifth to make it 4-1.Taylor homered off Freeland in the top of the fifth for Los Angeles’ first run.“He’s got really good stuff and you try to take advantage when he makes a mistake and leaves it out over the plate,” Taylor said.RESTLESS NIGHT OFFColorado third baseman Nolan Arenado understood why he wasn’t in the starting lineup, but he wasn’t happy with sitting. The All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner is 5 of 39 at the plate in his last 10 games, which has dropped his average below .300. He hasn’t hit a home run since Aug. 24 and has gone deep only three times since the end of July.Despite the prolonged power outage, he wanted to play.“I don’t make those calls Bert Blyleven Jersey ,” he said. “I don’t want it, but there’s no beating around it, I’m not play well. That’s why I’m not playing today.”Arenado has been battling a sore right shoulder that bothers him when he throws but not his swing. Manager Bud Black said a night off might help.“Offensively, it just doesn’t feel right,” he said. “His timing’s off, there’s some other things going on.”EXTRA! EXTRA!With Taylor’s home run, the Dodgers now have seven players with at least 15 homers and 15 doubles in a season for the first time in franchise history.Los Angeles had six players reach those marks in two previous seasons (1949 and 2017).GRAND MILESTONERockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu’s single in the first inning was the 1,000th hit of his career. He added another single in the eighth inning.UP NEXTIt will be a battle of lefties in the finale of the three-game series on Sunday. The Dodgers will send Rich Hill (7-5, 3.73) to the mound and the Rockies will counter with Tyler Anderson (6-7, 4.80).