Altherr homers twice to lead Thompson, Phillies past Braves

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Jake Thompson didn't have time for nerves or negative thoughts. Thompson pitched five scoreless innings in an emergency start and Aaron Altherr homered twice to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 10-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night. Tommy Joseph and Cameron Rupp also homered and Freddy Galvis had three hits for the Phillies, who have scored 19 runs on...

Braves ship struggling shortstop Dansby Swanson to minors

ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Braves have optioned struggling shortstop Dansby Swanson to Triple-A Gwinnett. Swanson was expected to be the figurehead of a rebuilding team. He was the No. 1 overall pick by Arizona in 2015 and was regarded as one of the National League's top rookies. He has hit only .213 with six homers and 35 RBIs. He has only three hits in 25 at-bats since the All-Star break.

Suzuki's 2 HRs help Braves' Foltynewicz win again

PHOENIX (AP) - Mike Foltynewicz began the season as Atlanta's No. 5 starter. He sure looks like No. 1 now. The 25-year-old right-hander went six strong innings to win again, Kurt Suzuki homered twice and the Braves beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3 on Tuesday night.

Martinez, Pollock, Greinke power Diamondbacks past Braves

PHOENIX (AP) - J.D. Martinez's time as an Arizona Diamondback started a little rough. Last week in his debut with the team, he was hit in the hand with a pitch, and didn't return to the starting lineup until Monday night. Add to that the adjustment and logistics of moving from Detroit to Phoenix and getting acclimated to a new team that is in contention for the postseason.

Twins acquire LHP Jaime Garcia, Recker from Braves for Ynoa

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Hoping to bolster their rotation for a playoff run, the Minnesota Twins got veteran left-handed pitcher Jaime García, catcher Anthony Recker and cash from the Atlanta Braves for minor league righty Huascar Ynoa on Monday. The 31-year-old García is 66-52 with a 3.65 ERA and 808 strikeouts in 176 appearances, mostly with St. Louis (2008, 2010-16). He missed the...

NL West-leading Dodgers lose Kershaw to DL with back injury

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Clayton Kershaw is headed to the disabled list for the second straight summer because of a back injury. A year after missing 2 1/2 months with a herniated disk in his lower back, Kershaw was pulled from a start Sunday against Atlanta because of lower back tightness. The Los Angeles Dodgers ace exited after two innings in a 5-4, 10-inning victory.

Dodgers lose injured Kershaw, beat Braves 5-4 in 10

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Dodgers are bracing for the worst after Clayton Kershaw's latest back injury. Manager Dave Roberts said the All-Star ace was headed to the 10-day disabled list after Kershaw left 21 pitches into his start on Sunday because of right low back tightness. "Just felt a little something in my back that wasn't normal," a subdued Kershaw said.

Taylor drives in 3 as the Dodgers beat the Braves 6-2

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Apparently, the Los Angeles Dodgers just needed a little spark to right themselves. That spark came off the bench Saturday night in the form of Chris Taylor, who drove in three runs with a home run and a triple and helped the Dodgers to a 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves. "He's a spark," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He's not so much under the...

Seager, Utley and Taylor homer and Dodgers beat Braves 4-2

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Chris Taylor drove in three runs with a home run and a triple, and Corey Seager and Chase Utley hit solo home runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped a two-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.

Braves beat Dodgers 12-3 after Wood unravels in 1st loss

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jaime Garcia maintains a poker face most of the time. But the Atlanta pitcher couldn't stop smiling after the biggest hit of his career. Garcia launched a grand slam off previously unbeaten Alex Wood to highlight the Braves' 12-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. "That was pretty unbelievable," Garcia said. "I've never hit a...

Braves end Dodgers' 11-game winning streak with 6-3 victory

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Something strange happened to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night. They lost a game. The Dodgers had their 11-game winning streak snapped with a 6-3 loss to right-hander Mike Foltynewicz and the Atlanta Braves. "It's a weird feeling," manager Dave Roberts said. "It's different." Winning is almost all the Dodgers have known of late. They had...

Montgomery homers as Cubs beat Braves 8-2 for 6th straight

ATLANTA (AP) - Mike Montgomery hit his first home run and allowed two hits and one run in six innings to lead the streaking Chicago Cubs to an 8-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Javier Baez hit a three-run homer in the eighth for Chicago, which stretched its season-best winning streak to six games since the All-Star break. The Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Braves.

Montgomery homers as Cubs beat Braves 8-2 for 6th straight

ATLANTA (AP) - The Cubs are on the roll that had been long expected from the defending World Series champions. Manager Joe Maddon said he likes the momentum created by a season-best six straight wins and feels even better about the positive energy in his clubhouse. Mike Montgomery hit his first career home run and allowed two hits and one run in six innings to lead streaking Chicago to an 8-2...

Contreras, Lackey power Cubs past Braves, 5-1

ATLANTA (AP) - John Lackey didn't consider this a final test to see if he can hold his spot in the Chicago Cubs' rotation. Lackey has given no thought to pitching out the bullpen, not after a 15-year career as a starter. "No, that ship has sailed," Lackey said with a smile. "That ain't going to happen. There's two places for me to be: starting or at home. Except...

Jon Lester dominant as Cubs hold off Braves 4-3

ATLANTA (AP) - Wade Davis has converted each of his 18 saves with the Cubs this year. The ninth inning against the Braves was proof they haven't all been easy. Jon Lester bounced back from the shortest start of his career by allowing only one run in seven innings and Chicago stopped Atlanta's ninth-inning comeback to give the Cubs a 4-3 win over the Braves on Monday night.

Braves activate Sean Rodriguez, Danny Santana from DL

ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Braves have activated utility players Sean Rodriguez and Danny Santana from the disabled list. Right-hander Jason Hursh and infielder Jace Peterson were optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Rodriguez will start at third base in his Braves debut against the Cubs on Monday night. Freddie Freeman is starting at first base.

Kemp's HR, Phillips' 3 doubles lead Braves past Arizona 7-1

ATLANTA (AP) - For the first time in three months, the Atlanta Braves are a .500 team. They know more work must be done to join Arizona in the NL wild-card race. Matt Kemp hit a three-run homer and Brandon Phillips doubled three times, leading Atlanta over the reeling Diamondbacks 7-1 Sunday for a three-game sweep.

Lane Adams' 3-run double powers Braves past Arizona 8-5

ATLANTA (AP) - It was no surprise to see an Atlanta pinch-hitter named Adams head to the plate with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. The first name, however, may have been unexpected. Sorry Matt, this was Lane Adams' time to shine. Lane Adams drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double that gave Atlanta the lead, and the Braves beat the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks 8-5 on...

Freeman, Braves rally in 8th to beat Diamondbacks 4-3

ATLANTA (AP) - The Arizona Diamondbacks had their comeback mojo working. The Braves had Freddie Freeman, who has been as productive as ever since missing 44 games with a fractured wrist. Freeman homered and had the decisive hit off Archie Bradley in Atlanta's two-run eighth inning to lead the Braves past the Diamondbacks 4-3 on Friday night. Freeman has three homers in seven games since...

Murphy's RBI single lifts Nats past Braves in 10 innings

WASHINGTON (AP) - Atlanta starter R.A. Dickey silenced Washington for seven innings Friday night. Once he was gone, though, the Nationals uncorked one of their biggest rallies of the season. Daniel Murphy's one-out RBI single in the 10th inning capped Washington's 5-4 comeback victory over the Braves. It was the 21st come-from-behind victory for the Nationals this season, and the second...