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  • The Good, The Bad, & The Braves: End of the win streak, Nats 4, Braves 3

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    Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker (above) didn’t hint to the media about his future plans after today’s game.
    Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The Atlanta Braves’ win streak ended Wednesday afternoon following a 4-3 loss to the Washington Nationals. The Braves chipped away at the Nationals’ lead throughout the game, but came up short.

    First pitch was at 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The Braves, now 75-84, were looking to win their 11th straight game. Tough-luck starter, Bryce Elder (8-10 with a 5.36 ERA), was on the mound for his 28th and final start of the season. Elder had been pitching well over his past seven starts, striking out 37 batters while going an impressive 3-1.

    He didn’t pitch too badly on Wednesday, but not well enough to get the win.

    Elder, as is his penchant this season, gave up an earned run in the first inning of the game. Three of the first four Nationals to take the plate had hits, including an RBI single from left fielder Daylen Lile. Elder would give up another run in the fourth inning following a solo home run by Josh Bell.

    Washington’s starter, Andrew Alvarez, was doing the opposite of Elder and cruising through three innings. Following a walk to Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. to start the fourth inning, Alvarez got Drake Baldwin to ground out, Ha-Seong Kim to fly out, and Marcell Ozuna to strike out. Through four innings, Alvarez had only given up a single and struck out five Braves. Wednesday’s game was the Anaheim, California native’s sixth career start.

    Braves starter Bryce Elder after the game on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The Braves played some of their best baseball at the end of this season, leaving the fan base with something to look forward to in 2026. Whether manager Brian Snitker is manning the ship is another question.

    The Braves will have three more home games to close the regular season. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    One of the players who will be key to a successful 2026 season is center fielder Michael Harris II. Harris II, one of the best defensive center fielders in the Majors, had two home runs during the win on Tuesday night and began the fifth inning of this game with a single. Harris II stole third base during the inning, giving him 20 steals for the season. Another home run would lock up a 20-20 season.

    Down 2-0 in the fifth inning, Atlanta had the bases loaded with one out before Matt Olson popped up to second base and Acuna, Jr. grounded out to short, ending the inning.

    Elder gave up another solo home run to start the sixth inning, this time to James Wood. Elder pitched seven innings and struck out seven Nationals.

    Woods hit another solo home run, his 29th of the season, off reliever Tyler Kinley in the seventh inning to put his team ahead 4-1. Ozuna got a run back for the Braves with a solo home run in the eighth inning.

    In the ninth inning, Eli White came off the bench to hit another solo home run off Washington reliever Jose A. Ferrer to bring Atlanta within a run at 4-3.

    Atlanta will end the regular season with a three-game weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Truist Park.

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    Donnell Suggs

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  • Turner, Dodgers start fast, hold off Padres in NLDS opener

    Turner, Dodgers start fast, hold off Padres in NLDS opener

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    LOS ANGELES — Trea Turner homered and doubled as the Los Angeles Dodgers started fast and held off the San Diego Padres 5-3 on Tuesday night in their NL Division Series opener.

    Behind 17-game winner Julio Urías, the Dodgers raced to an early 5-0 lead and appeared to be on their way to another blowout of the Padres.

    Los Angeles dominated in the regular season, owning a 14-5 advantage and outscoring San Diego 109-47. The 111-win Dodgers claimed the NL West and the Padres finished second, 22 games back.

    With Sandy Koufax watching from the owners’ box, Urías retired the first eight batters he faced until Austin Nola doubled with two outs in the third.

    “We have to give a lot of credit to our offense,” Urías said through a translator. “They did a good job battling, getting those runs early and putting us in a good spot to win.”

    Chris Martin, who had two saves this season, gave up a single in the ninth, when the Padres had the potential tying run at the plate. Struggling closer Craig Kimbrel was left off the Dodgers’ roster for this best-of-five matchup.

    Game 2 is Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium before the series shifts south to San Diego.

    “No moral victories, but the latter part of the game was better than the first part for us,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said.

    “We felt like we had a chance in the latter innings to win this game,” he said. “I think everybody is pretty eager to get back out here again.”

    The Padres were coming off a win in the decisive Game 3 of the wild-card series Sunday night over the Mets in New York.

    The Dodgers, who had five days off after drawing a bye, showed no signs of rust.

    In the first, Turner hit a 419-foot shot into the left-field pavilion for his second career postseason homer and first as a Dodger. Two batters later, Will Smith doubled and scored on Max Muncy’s two-out single for a 2-0 lead.

    The Dodgers batted around in the third, tacking on three more runs.

    Turner doubled leading off and after Freddie Freeman flied out, Smith stepped in and doubled to deep left-center, nearly the same spot where Turner’s ball landed. Gavin Lux doubled to the right-field corner with two outs, driving in Smith and chasing Mike Clevinger.

    Steven Wilson came in and promptly walked Trayce Thompson to load the bases.

    Choking up, Cody Bellinger initially was thought to have been hit by a pitch and took first base as Muncy was forced in. But upon video review, it appeared the ball hit the knob of the bat. Bellinger was called back to the plate and Muncy returned to third.

    Bellinger was then safe at first on an error by first baseman Wil Myers, scoring Muncy. The ball hit off the heel of Myers’ glove and he missed it on the pickup, leaving no chance to make a play on the speedy Bellinger.

    The Dodgers’ offense — baseball’s highest-scoring this season — went quiet after the third. Their lone baserunner was Freeman, who walked. Mookie Betts and Freeman were a combined 0 for 7 with two strikeouts.

    The Dodgers hadn’t played a must-win game since mid-June before running away with the division. But they found themselves in trouble in the fifth.

    That’s when the Padres finally got to Urías, closing to 5-3 after he gave up three straight hits.

    Myers led off with an opposite-field solo shot to left. Trent Grisham had an RBI grounder that scored Jake Cronenworth, who had singled. Nola’s sacrifice fly scored Ha-Seong Kim, who doubled.

    San Diego threatened again in the sixth against Evan Phillips, but the defense bailed him out.

    Juan Soto drew a leadoff walk. Booed heavily by the crowd of 52,407, Manny Machado followed with an infield trickler that the Dodgers hoped would roll foul. It did not, and went for a single.

    After pinch-hitter Josh Bell struck out, Myers came up as the potential go-ahead run.

    Myers grounded into an inning-ending double play, started by second baseman Gavin Lux. He flipped to Turner, and the shortstop double-clutched before firing to first to get Myers.

    Urías allowed three runs and four hits in five innings. The left-hander struck out six and walked none.

    Clevinger gave up five runs — four earned — and six hits in 2 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked two.

    ROSTER MOVE

    Kimbrel had already been demoted from his ninth-inning role two weeks ago after struggling much of the season as the successor to Kenley Jansen, who left as a free agent last winter.

    UP NEXT

    RH Yu Darvish, who had a 3.10 ERA in the regular season, starts Game 2 for the Padres. LH Clayton Kershaw, the three-time Cy Young Award winner, goes for the Dodgers.

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    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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